


Adashi Month 2019

by Gaymememachine



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Titanic (1997), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Acxa as Victoria, Adam (Voltron) Lives, Adam as Max Caulfield, Adam-Centric, Adashi Family, Allura Pilots the Atlas, Altean Adam (Voltron), Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternative school, Black Paladin Shiro (Voltron), Canon Compliant, Cat, Changing the past, Christmas, Christmas Time, Coffee Shops, Defenders of tomorrow - Freeform, Dogs, Engagement, Ezor as Taylor, Family, Family Drama, First Dates, First Kiss, Galra Shiro (Voltron), Galtean, Genderbending, Genderswap, High School, Hunk as Stella, Inspired by Life Is Strange, Inspired by The Shadow Box (Play), James as Kate Marsh, Keith as Alyssa, Lotor as Nathan, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Merman Adam, Netflix and Chill, Pet Owner Adam, Pet Owner Shiro, Pet au, Post-Kerberos Adam, Post-Kerberos Adashi, Post-Kerberos Mission, Rain, Reunion, Rewind Powers (Life Is Strange), Scandinavian Adam, Sendak as Mark Jefferson, Shiro as Chloe Price, Shopping Malls, Soulmates, Stargazing, Steampunk, Sven-verse, Temporary Character Death, Third Wheels, Time Travel, Titanic - Freeform, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, Victorian, Voltron Defenders of tomorrow - Freeform, Winter, life is strange au, mall date, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-07-09 18:55:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 25,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19892692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaymememachine/pseuds/Gaymememachine
Summary: Here is where I’ll be posting my one-shots from Adashi Month!





	1. Adam W.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro pays a visit to Adam's plaque.

“Hey, Adam,”  
I say as I stand  
In front of the plaque  
white bouquet in hand.

Adam W.  
Three stars below your name,  
one I didn’t get to see,  
alongside headshot.  
Bold and serious, you persisted.

That is, until you didn’t.

Adam W.  
The man of my dreams,  
the boy I crushed on as a cadet,  
my partner in crime.  
Countless hours in the simulator.

That is, until we piloted the real things.

Adam W.  
My shoulder to lean on,  
my lover,  
my soulmate  
I wanted to be with you.

That is, until I had to choose.

To wither and decay by your side,  
or chase my lifelong dream,  
where I would not be a burden?  
I always wanted to protect you,  
even when it seemed the opposite.

I couldn’t save you.

We had to end it,  
I left,  
and I couldn’t save you.

The worst thing is that I couldn’t prevent this.

Wiping a tear from my eye,  
Setting flowers down below your name,

slowly

walking

away.


	2. Canonverse/Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate take of the reunion scene in season 7 where Adam is alive.

Those thirty minutes from the ruins of Plaht City to the Garrison were the longest minutes of Shiro’s life. During the entire way there, he couldn’t stop thinking about his former lover, Adam.

Their argument, though several years ago, played like a movie in his head.

Everything okay?

Well, Maybe he’s right. Maybe you shouldn’t go on the mission. You’ll only be putting yourself at risk.

Takashi, how important am I to you? Every mission, every drill, I’ve been right there with you. But this is more than a mission. This is your life at stake.

There’s nothing left for you to prove. You’ve broken every record there is to break. I know I can’t stop you, but I won’t go through this again. So, if you decide to go… don’t expect me to be here when you get back.

I’ve got a class to teach.

-

The Garrison pulled into view, and Shiro’s thoughts raced inside his head. How would he react to seeing me? Is he even alive? Has he moved on?

The land-rover drove through a long tunnel, and the light at the end blinded Shiro. He closed his eyes, waiting for what would come next.

A group of people stood by, waiting for the paladins’ arrival. Shiro immediately caught sight of Sam and Colleen Holt, as well as their dog, straying away from the crowd and running towards the vehicle.

“Mom! Dad!” Pidge cried, leaping out from the vehicle and into the arms of her parents. She sniffled, hugging them tightly. It was truly a heartwarming sight to see.

Next was Lance’s niece and nephew yelling, “Uncle Lance!” His entire family caught up to him, all in one giant hug.

Shiro exited the vehicle, catching a draft of the cold desert air. He scanned the crowd, but couldn’t find anyone. His heart dropped.

“Takashi?”

Shiro whipped his head around, and there he was: Adam. Just as he remembered him. Same glasses, same hypnotizing brown eyes, same layered and fluffy hair. It was really him.

“Adam?”

Both of them covered their mouths, taking slow steps towards each other, then big ones.

Really big ones.

Adam nearly knocked Shiro over, tightly squeezing him so hard that Shiro felt like a lemon. Juice pouring out, making lemonade, flowing from the eyes.

Though Shiro only shed a small tear, Adam sobbed, tightly gripping onto Shiro’s back.

“Hey, Adam. It’s me. I’m here.”

Adam hiccuped, pulling away from the hug, scanning Shiro’s entire body with glossy eyes. Gaze flowing to hair, then scar, then the lack of a right arm. Adam’s bottom lip quivered.

Then, a smile. A smile.

“I never would’ve guessed,” said Adam, nearly at a whisper. He giggled, lightly, trying to hide it. A snort escaped from Adam’s mouth. The giggling turned to hard laughter—a belly laugh—and Adam clutched his stomach.

Shiro expected a multitude of outcomes before he and the rest of Team Voltron arrived at the Garrison, but he never could have predicted this. Not in a million years.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He was genuinely concerned about Adam.

Adam, still laughing, finally calmed down. The laughter began to fade. He wiped a tear from his eye, brushing his cheeks with his sleeve to dry them.

“‘Kashi, you’re such an idiot.”

“I know you didn’t want anything to happen to me while I was up there, but…” Shiro genuinely had no idea what to say. He wanted to apologize, yet couldn’t find the right words. At the same time, he didn’t regret his decision to leave at all. He was stuck somewhere in the middle.

“Time has certainly changed you, hasn’t it? God, I thought you were dead…”

Even though Shiro sent him a video message back when Sam returned to Earth, he understood that Adam thought he was dead for at least a year. He couldn’t even imagine how taxing that would be on Shiro if the roles were reversed. This is what he wanted to apologize for.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“There was nothing you could have done. I would have been worried regardless.”

Shiro still didn’t believe this was enough. “But I-”

“Shhh…”

Adam held a finger to Shiro’s lips, pulling him into a tight kiss. For those passionate ten seconds, the air around them seemed to lift, energizing Shiro.

Adam pulled away, rustling his hand through foreign Shiro’s silver hair.

“Welcome home,” he said with a smile.


	3. Engagement/Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate universe where Adam was never sent to fight against the Galra and Shiro pilots the Black Lion.
> 
> If you guys want a soundtrack to this chapter (specifically after they go to McDonald’s), I highly recommend the song Fireflies by Lights & Motion. I listened to it while writing this chapter.

“Adam, get up!”

Adam slowly opened his eyes to see Shiro towering over him, grinning like a puppy before being fed. He also noticed that he was wearing rather nice clothes. They definitely weren’t pajamas.

“Mmm… Takashi, what time is it?”

“Time for us to go on a little adventure in the Black Lion.” Shiro smirked, tapping Adam’s chin with his finger.

“This better be good, since you’re waking me up at-” He checked his phone that was lying on the nightstand. “5:30 in the morning.”

“Oh, trust me, it will be. I already made breakfast.”

“Wait, what?!” Adam threw the covers up and launched himself up in panic. He almost fell back over, but he stabilized himself by holding his arms out. “Oh my god, you touched an oven?”

“Yeah, why-?”

“I banned you from using it, remember?!” Adam ran out of the bedroom and straight to the kitchen. “God, where’s the fire?”

Upon entering the kitchen, Adam saw no smoke nor fire. Instead, there were two plates of horrifyingly burnt waffles, turned black from combustion.

“You call this breakfast?” Adam sighed, plopping down on the couch. “You can’t cook to save your life? What would you even do without me?”

Shiro hid his hands behind his back, looking at the ground. “I just wanted to do something nice for you, since you’re always cooking for me and stuff.”

“Awe, Takashi.”

Adam pulled him in for a hug, holding him tight. Deep down, he truly appreciated Shiro’s efforts, despite them not turning on for the best.

“Come on,” said Adam, pulling away from the hug and holding his hands instead. “Let’s go get some McDonald’s.”

After Adam threw on some clothes, they went out to the car, played some calm music, then drove down the street to the nearest McDonald’s. Shiro ordered a Sausage Biscuit and Adam ordered Hotcakes. Immediately after receiving their food, they drove to the Garrison. Shiro switched the music to some energizing and slightly romantic low-fi, which gave Adam questions.

“Where are we going once we get in the lion?”

Shiro, not taking his eyes off the road, waited a bit before saying, “You’ll see.”

They finally arrived, parking the vehicle, then running towards the hangar. Once they got there, the Black Lion’s eyes lit up, and the ramp to the cockpit opened.

Before getting in, Shiro turned to Adam, holding his floating prosthetic hand out. “Care to go on this adventure with me?”

Adam snorted, accepting his hand, following him inside the lion. Shiro definitely had something planned; Adam just didn’t know what.

Shiro took a seat, scooting up to the control panel. “Alright, this baby goes fast, so you might wanna hold on tight.”

Adam grasped onto the back of the chair, bracing himself. “Just how fast?”

The lion took off, surprising Adam at first, but he quickly adjusted to the speed they were moving at. Their surroundings blurred past as the lion weaved around canyons and desert. Eventually they encountered a river, skimming across the water. It splashed on the sides of the windshield, dripping off when the lion flew back upwards. Adam and Shiro both laughed, enjoying the ride.

Adam’s stomach growled, and he reached for the food they ordered. He grabbed his hotcakes, grabbing a bite of his Hotcakes while holding onto the chair with one hand.

“What are you doing?” Shiro asked, looking back.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” he replied with a mouthful.

Shiro chuckled, pulling up to a beach and landing the lion. The two of them got out, Shiro holding Adam’s hand again. The sun rose over the tranquil waters, the waves crashed against rocks, and the seagulls sang in the distance. All of this reminded Adam of how much he missed the beach.

“I know our relationship had its ups and downs…” Shiro began. “But I’m glad that we were able to make up and thrive together. Through our hardships, we were able to be there for each other in the very end. We’ve communicated with each other, and that’s made our relationship flourish more than ever before.”

“I admit, I was mad at you at first, but I understand why you went to Kerberos.” Adam looked down at Shiro’s arm. “I’m still mad at you sometimes, but I was able to get over the changes.”

“I love waking up with you, and I want to do that every day. I want to go to so many places with you, and maybe even adopt kids down the line. What I’m saying is I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Shiro held both of Adam’s hands, pulling him close.

“What are you saying?” Adam whispered. The way Shiro monologued seemed like it was leading up to something.

The next step.

Shiro dropped to one knee, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket. He opened the lid, revealing a silver band.

Oh my god, oh my god!

“Adam Wright, will you marry me?”

Adam’s head filled with nothing but keysmashes. His body jittered up and down, almost to the point of jumping. He remembered proposing to Shiro many years ago, vowing to stay by his side for the last few years Shiro had left to live. Now, the tables have turned.

Adam covered his mouth, beginning to cry of joy.

“Yes. Yes, I will.”

Shiro laughed, spinning Adam around, salty ocean breeze surrounding them.

Take two, and action.


	4. VDOT: Voltron Defenders of Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Takashi gets captured by a gang known as the Galra, Dante and a few others help break him out.
> 
> For reference:  
> Takashi = Shiro  
> Dante = Adam  
> Akira = Keith  
> Leandro = Lance  
> Pandora = Pidge  
> Alzina = Allura

Dante quickly got on his hoverbike as soon as he heard the news of his fiancé’s capture by a heavily established and feared gang known as the Galra. This gang had taken control of the city, terrorizing the citizens.

-

He suspected something was up when the clock struck midnight, yet Takashi still never came back despite saying he’d be back by nine. Takashi was a man true to his word, so Dante knew there must be a reason behind this.

Dante couldn’t sleep for that entire night, knowing that his fiancé was most likely in danger. Considering all the crime that happened in the city, this didn’t seem unusual.

Especially since Takashi was considered a rebel against the Galra, even being a leader of a group called Defenders of Tomorrow.

Just before 3:00 am, Dante’s phone rang. It was Akira—Takashi’s younger brother—and Dante wondered why he was calling. Regardless, he answered.

“Dante, are you there?”

“Yes? What is it?” Dante anxiously tapped on the back of the phone, waiting for answers.

“A few hours ago, I saw Shiro unconscious and being taken away in handcuffs. I’m almost positive the guys who took him were Galra.”

Dante froze, completely speechless. Takashi normally put up a good fight. However, the person he was fighting against was just too strong, perhaps. The person he loved most was in danger, and he couldn’t relax knowing that.

“What?! Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

He thought back to the last time Takashi was taken by the Galra. It was his first time being captured, and Dante couldn’t even look back at the incident without his stomach churning.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous the Galra are? Who knows what they’ll do to him! Last time, they took his arm!” Dante paused, hyperventilating. After calming down, and realizing Akira silent on the other end, he proceeded. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Akira. I’m just stressed.”

“I apologize for not telling you earlier, but the rest of the crew and I were collecting data. We now know his location. We’ll meet you there in ten minutes and give you the plan as you’re getting there. Are you up for it?”

Dante threw off the covers, quickly throwing on his leather jacket and fastening his boots. Before he left the apartment, he grabbed his laser pistol, loading it with fuel. “When it comes to saving Takashi, you know I am.”

-

The bike traveled down the highway, speeding past neon lights, blurring past like a colorful tunnel. The strong gust of wind whipped through Dante’s clothing, making him feel like a sail. Cars honked below, and the city smelled of smog as usual. Classic.

“Pandora will hack into the system and trap the guards where they are. After that, Leandro and I will break in and attack the guards,” said Akira over Dante’s phone. “Alzina will be outside with backup in case something goes wrong.”

“10-4.”

“There should also be some drones guarding the entrance. Pandora is working to disable them-”

Dante noticed approximately eight pyramid-shaped drones turn to his direction. Their eyes lit up red, and Dante reached for his pistol. After aiming it at the first drone, he pulled the trigger.

Blam.

The drone fell to the ground, smashing into pieces.

Dante turned to the remaining seven drones. He fired at six of them, and they all fell to the ground on impact. Aiming was especially hard while driving a hoverbike, but he managed.

Seven down, one to go. But where is it?

Dante heard a whirring sound from behind, and he whipped his head around, seeing the remaining drone. Before it could fire, it shut down, dropping to the cement ground. He made a mental note to thank Pandora after all of this.

Dante parked his hoverbike, grabbing his phone. “Tell Alzina to make sure no one steals my bike.”

“Affirmative.”

Upon entering, Dante heard several lasers being fired in the room next door. He assumed it would be best to travel through the vents, so he did, detaching the cover and climbing inside.

After crawling for what felt like five minutes, he heard a groan which made him pause.

“You can do anything you want with me, but lay a finger on anyone else in my team and you’ll be sorry.”

It was Takashi.

The guard laughed, deep and manically. “Or what?”

Now’s my chance.

Dante jumped through the vent, immediately pulling his pistol out and firing at the guard. Once the guard was down, Dante snatched the keys from the Galra’s waistband and used it to unlock the shackles restraining Takashi.

“Dante-?”

Takashi fell to the floor, groaning, rubbing his head.

“You bet I’d come back for you.”

Dante was met with a smile. “Heh, I knew you would.”

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”


	5. Sven-verse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Sven gets shot, he gets treated at Space Hospital, where he reunites with his husband. From there, Sven is once again forced to make a life altering decision.
> 
> For reference:  
> Sven = Shiro  
> Axel = Adam

“Dr. Wright, he’s awake.”

Sven opened his eyes, though his vision blurred. From what he could make out, a short and curvy woman with horns and blue skin leaned over him. He assumed that it was a nurse monitoring him at the time.

A dull pain attacked his abdomen, and he hissed in response. He could tell that he was on pain medication, but it didn’t completely cancel out the pain.

“He’s awake?!” A familiar voice.

It was his husband, Axel.

“Sven Shirogane, do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?!”

Sven’s vision cleared, and Axel paced back and forth, nibbling on the end of his pen.

“Axel, I can explain-”

“My hair has been turning grey, and it’s been falling out! Look!” Axel grabbed his hair, tugging on it until a few stands came out. “See?” He proceeded to endlessly ramble on in Swedish, talking too fast for Sven to understand. It almost hurt him to see his lover this frantic.

“Dr. Wright… The tests?”

Axel paused mid-sentence, trailing off a bit. Sighing, he threw the strands of hair away in the trash and pulled out his stethoscope.

“I’ll leave you two be,” said the nurse before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Sven took a moment to process everything. He hadn’t seen his husband in a little over a year, yet here he was, tending to Sven’s wounds. That was his job, after all.

“Axel, I can explain-”

“I tried to tell you that joining the Guns of Gamara was a bad idea, but did you listen? No!”

Sven remembered the last argument he had with Axel. It was one of the worst days of his life: he had to choose between the wellbeing of the universe or spending the rest of his days with the person he loved most.

“I had to protect the universe. You know that.”

“You don’t have many years left to live!”

Based on the tone of his voice alone, Sven could tell Axel was on the brink of tears. Axel sniffled, turning his head away. The pain in Sven’s abdomen moved to his heart, and it made him want to cry, too. A lump formed in his throat, limiting his ability to speak.

“Look…” Sven tried to get out the words, but it was no use. They came out strangled and choked, fragmented past the point of understanding. He decided to give it a rest until he was able to speak. “If I let those Alteans get away with their plans, everyone in the universe would be slaves. Do you understand?”

Silence.

“Axel?”

Without warning, Axel bawled, sinking to the floor by Sven’s side. He sobbed while on the edge of the bed, resting his forehead on the mattress. The occasional hiccup reminded Sven how vulnerable Axel was at that moment. If Sven wasn’t in pain earlier, he definitely was now. He couldn’t remember the last time Axel cried like this, if at all.

“Sven… I just wanted to make the most of the time we had left with each other. I wanted you to take it easy. You could have died out there!” He lifted his head from the mattress, and Sven could feel his cold stare. However, he avoided eye contact.

“I would have died anyway.”

“You don’t get it! You’ve spent your entire life fighting. Do you even know what peace is like?”

Sven paused for a moment, looking back. It had been ages since he was at peace, but he reminisced. He felt at peace when him and Axel used to goof off in class, when they went to the amusement park for Sven’s 18th birthday, and when they used to dance while the rain poured on the windows. He was with Axel all those moments.

“When we spend time together. When I look into your eyes, I feel at peace. Oh, how I missed you.”

“Just think about this.” Axel tussled Sven’s hair, and he realized how much he missed his hair being ruffled. “Please… The Guns will be fine. You need to recover, and I think you’ve been fighting long enough. What do you say? After I fix you up, come back to Stockholm with me?”

One gaze into Axel’s brown eyes mesmerized Sven. They were a galaxy in itself, better than anything space had to offer.

But there was something holding Sven back. One of the reasons Sven joined the Guns of Gamara was because he couldn’t bear the thought of Axel seeing him suffer, slowly withering until he died.

“But I don’t want you to see me die.”

Axel sighed once again, standing back up on his feet. “Neither do I, but I want to be there for you. When I proposed to you and when we got married, I knew what would happen. I love you, and I want to be with you for as long as we have together, disease or not.”

Once again, Sven thought for a moment. He was once again forced to make a decision: to join the Guns again after his recovery or to spend the rest of his life with Axel.

“Yes,” he finally said. “Yes, I want to go back home with you.”

Axel wiped away his tears, smiling for the first time since Sven woke up. Giving Sven a kiss, he caressed the side of his jaw. His hand gently slid down his neck, over his shoulder, and to Sven’s palm. They interlaced their fingers together, and Axel leaned in closer, clearly in a tranquil state of mind.

“Alright,” said Axel, proceeding to lay out some medical instruments. “I’m going to run some tests on you, then I’ll take you home after you get discharged.”

Sven closed his eyes, letting Axel do his thing.

His years of fighting were over, and now the only thing getting in his way was his disease, slowly consuming him.

But what was for a later date. Now, he was in Axel’s care, being treated for his injury.


	6. Galtean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Adam of Altea gets captured by the Galra.

The moment Prince Adam opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed were the shackles pinning him to a wall. They iced his skin, squeezing his wrist and ankles nearly tight enough to cut off his circulation.

The last thing he remembered was fighting against Galra soldiers. One of them stood out to him: white tuft in the front and a prosthetic right arm. Unfortunately, Adam was knocked out in the fight.

Adam took note of his surroundings. All he saw in the room were metal walls, purple lights, and a leaver. He didn’t want to imagine what it was for, and he cringed with just the thought.

A door entered, and a familiar face entered, immediately recognizable by his white tuft. He appeared to be of muscular build, tall and confident. Adam assumed that this man came to torture him, but something about the way his yellow eyes looked signaled something was off.

The stranger seemed sad, almost guilty. But why? He’s Galra. How could a Galra possibly feel sympathy?

“What do you want from me?” Adam questioned, trying to sound intimidating yet failing in every possible way.

The stranger pulled a key out of his pocket and began unlocking the shackles until Adam was free. Adam assumed he was about to be transferred to another place. However, the Galra wheeled a cart containing a giant box into the room.

“Get in.”

Adam squatted down into the box in a sitting position, questioning why this was necessary. The Galra placed a lid on top of the box, and Adam’s vision plunged into darkness.

The cart moved for around five minutes without stopping, until Adam heard another voice from outside.

“Do you have orders to be transporting cargo at this hour?”

Silence.

“Alright, then move along.”

The cart continued to move, and Adam began to question the situation even more. Finally, the cart came to another stop, but this time the box was lifted onto another surface. A thud, likely the closing of a trunk, shook the box.

Around a minute later, Adam felt the sensation of moving, first at a straight line and then at an upwards angle. It occurred to him that he was inside a cargo jet.

The jet continued to speed upward until it finished taking off. Shortly after the plane had finished lifting off, the lid on the box was removed, and Adam was now facing the stranger from earlier. The Galra held his hand out, and Adam accepted it, stepping out of the box and into an otherwise empty cargo bay.

“My name is Commander Shirovak-” He paused, hesitant. “My name is Shiro.”

Adam figured that he should share his name as well. It would be rude not to, after all. “I am Prince-”

“Prince Adam of Altea. Everyone in the Galra Empire knows that.”

Adam nearly forgot that he was being hunted by this entire race. “Er, yeah…”

The two stood in awkward silence, waiting for the other to say something.

“Where are we going?” Adam asked.

“Away from any and all Galra instillations.” Shiro proceeded to enter the cockpit, looking back at Adam. “You’re more than welcome to join me up here.”

Adam followed him, sitting in a chair in the back. Shiro sat in the main seat near the control panel, turning the plane off autopilot.

“So, do you have a particular destination in mind?” Shiro asked.

Before Adam responded, he needed to make sure this wasn’t a trap of some kind. He couldn’t believe it. It seemed almost impossible for a Galra to realize the fault in the empire’s actions and proceed to abandon their people.

“How do I know if I can trust you?”

Shiro sighed, hanging his head down. Silence. Then, “My people have done some terrible things. They’re terrorizing innocent beings and transforming their own people into monsters. You think I asked for this?” He slowed his prosthetic to Adam, allowing him to take a good look. “They removed my arm and forced me to get this. The worst thing is that I seemed to be the only person bothered by this. This guy named Sendak seemed to be happy with his.”

Adam didn’t really know what to think. The Galra seemed worse than he thought they were, yet he was beginning to realize that perhaps not all Galra were bad.

“Shiro, I’m so s-”

“All these years, I felt so sick performing my wrongful duties, then I finally realized how horrible everything was. That’s why I want to leave in hopes for a better life, helping put a stop to the empire once and for all.”

Adam processed everything Shiro said. Just a day ago, he thought all Galra were bad. Now, he was being rescued by one.

“I’m terribly sorry this happened to you. You didn’t deserve to be brought into this awful background, nor did you deserve for anything bad to happen to you.” He paused, taking a breath. “I trust you, and if you would like, I’d love to invite you to the Castle of Lions.”

Adam gave Shiro directions, and the jet set a course for the castle.


	7. Time Travel/Reincarnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being sucked into a mysterious rift, Shiro finds himself several years back in time.
> 
> “If you could do it all again...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the song “Dawn Chrous” by Thom Yorke sums up this one-shot perfectly. It came on as I was writing this and it made me tear up because of how accurate it was. The lyric I included in the summary is from this song.

During the Atlas’ battle with Honerva, Shiro sensed something was different. Instead of focusing on attacks, Honerva defended herself while harnessing energy from her Komar Mechs, leaving room in the center.

“Uh, guys?” asked Lance from the Red Lion’s communications system. “What do you think she’s doing?”

A dark swirl resembling a black hole began to form in the middle of the robots. Immediately after it took shape, Honerva summoned a wormhole, and her along with the robeasts, disappeared into it.

Voltron and the Atlas were now alone. But why?

“Uh, guys?” Keith’s voice.

The floor swayed underneath Shiro’s feet, though he wasn’t moving the Atlas.

“The void is getting bigger and we’re being sucked in!” Pidge yelled from the other end.

Shiro turned to look towards the direction the Atlas was moving in. The rift’s size drastically increased, multiplying by the second. It seemed as if the ship’s speed grew faster with each passing moment. Shiro knew that he had to try to get out of its gravitational pull.

“I’ll try turning the ship around,” he said as he reached for the control panel, but it was no use. There was no chance they’d get out of the way in time.

As they passed through the rift, Shiro’s head began to pound. He couldn’t remember having a headache worse that that. It felt like the Atlas himself was crushing his skull. Looking around, he noticed everyone else with hands on top of their head, some even screaming.

The pain subsided, dull and throbbing. He couldn’t stay awake any longer. He closed his eyes, letting unconsciousness carry him away.

-

Shiro woke up in a bed, gasping for air, sitting up. He immediately noticed that his arm was different, like he had two flesh hands again.

Through the darkness, he recognized the room. It was Shiro and Adam’s old apartment. He could tell by the sliding mirrored door and window on his right side.

He examined himself in the mirror. His hair was black, he had no visible scars anywhere on his body, and he had his old arm in place of a prosthetic. He couldn’t believe it. Was this a dream? Why did he feel so young?

In the reflection, he noticed a large bump underneath the blanket next to his left side.

This could only mean one thing.

“‘Kashi?”

Shiro’s head whipped around. A sleepy Adam turned to face him, rubbing his eyes.

It was him.

“Adam!”

Shiro squeezed the life out of Adam, tightly wrapping his arms around his torso. Tears collected in Shiro’s eyes, waiting to fall. He realized how much he missed the warmth of his body and how it felt waking up next to him everyday. This seemed almost too good to be true, like it was a dream, only it didn’t feel like it at all. It felt real. Adam, the room, this body Shiro was in… It felt real.

“Woah, hey, what’s the matter with you?”

Shiro tried to speak, but a lump formed in his throat, nearly strangling him. “I missed you so much, I-”

Dream or not, a new idea ignited in Shiro’s mind, sparking in millions of colorful and short streaks of light. If he was really in the past, that means he had the power to change it.

He could change the course of fate and save millions of lives.

“Adam, you have to listen to me. I don’t know how much time I have in this body, but listen. The Galra will invade, and you’ll... die.” He could barely say that last word without choking.

“Wait, what? What are you talking about?” Adam reached for his glasses and put them on. “You must be joking. And who are the Galra? Are you sure this isn’t a dream?”

“I’m positive. Well, about the future. I have no idea if I’m dreaming right now or not. I’ll explain everything, but make sure you write every single thing down and make multiple copies of what I tell you.”

The two of them got up, and Adam made two cups of coffee, offering one to Shiro. He accepted, sipping on the warm liquid. They took a seat in the living room, facing each other at a 90° angle.

“Okay, now I’ll be more awake.” Adam boxed his legs, bringing the coffee to his lips. “Start from the beginning.”

For an hour or two, Shiro told him everything he could remember about what would happen in the future. He talked about Kerberos, the argument they had before then, and his time in Galra captivity. He talked about crash landing on Earth, the paladins of Voltron, the Castle of Lions, and the Alteans. He talked about accidentally releasing Sendak into space, which was his biggest regret. He finally got to the part where he was cloned, how he was stuck in the void of the Black Lion, and how the cloning process eradicated his disease. Adam paused while taking notes, looking up from his phone.

“Wait…” Adam began. “So you’re saying that you were not only cloned, but that it cured your disease?”

“Yes,” he said with a smile. “I guess that’s one good thing about this whole mess.”

“But what else?”

Shiro filled him in on other events, such as reuniting with Matt and Sam. He also talked about Lotor and how he ended up betraying the team. He also talked about Romelle, the Altean colony, the fight with Lotor, and the sacrifice of the Castle of Lions. Finally, he got to the Galra’s invasion of Earth.

“During the three years everyone else experienced when we closed the rift, the Galra invaded Earth. Sam tried to up Earth’s defenses before the invasion, training the Garrison’s MFE pilots and upgrading technology, but it wasn’t enough. Once they invaded, the rest of Earth was unprepared. Admiral Sanda sent your crew out first, since she didn’t trust the MFEs, but unfortunately your weapons had no effect on the Galra. You and your entire crew were quickly wiped out. There were no survivors.”

“Wow…” Adam took another sip of his coffee, slowly taking note of what Shiro had said. “And I thought you would die before me.”

“I did, too. That’s why I was so shocked and upset when I heard the news. I had to stay strong for the others and myself, but it was so hard.”

“Okay… Go on.”

Shiro realized that he forget to mention important aspects of before the invasion, such as Admiral Sanda ordering the news about alien life to stay clear from the public. He also mentioned how he piloted the Atlas using his prosthetic, Sendak’s defeat, the Komar Mechs, Honerva, and anything else he could remember up until the point of being sucked into that mysterious void.

“And that’s it, right? Adam asked as he typed the rest of his notes into his phone.

“I believe so.”

“I’ll print it this morning. Right now it’s in the cloud, so it shouldn’t go anywhere.”

Shiro’s phone rang. It was Sam. He answered the phone, curious to find out if anyone else in the crew had experienced the same thing as Shiro.

“Shiro, are you there?”

“Yes, Sam. Are you okay?”

“It seems as if I was transported several years into the past. I wrote down several notes that would help for the future, such as dates and scientific data. Has the same thing happened to you?”

“Yes. So I guess everyone was transported back in time.”

“I need you and Adam to come over to my house immediately. Try to contact as many people as you can who would benefit from this knowledge. Convincing Admiral Sanda to make the right decisions will be hard, but perhaps she will believe us. We just need evidence and to put together the missing pieces.”

“Understood. We’ll be on our way.”

Shiro hung up the phone and immediately began getting dressed. Adam did the same, throwing on random clothes. They left the hall and entered the hallway of their apartment, but before they could get very far, Shiro’s headache returned. He screamed, falling to the floor, hands cradling his skull. Something told him that he didn’t have much time left in the past.

“Takashi, are you okay?” Adam’s voice radiated concern.

Grunting, Shiro pushed through the headache, holding onto Adam to stand. This could possibly be the last time he’d ever see him again. He knew he had to make it count.

“Grrr… Goodbye, Adam.”

His entire body swayed, falling to the floor. The sound around him became distorted.

“Takashi!”

The last thing he heard before blacking out.

-

When Shiro woke up again, he was in the cockpit of the Black Lion. Huh. Weird…

Another line opened on communications, and a live recording of Allura projected onto the lion’s dashboard. She wore her old armor, though she was not standing. Something seemed odd.

“Guys, are you okay? We were all knocked out unconscious!”

Shiro observed Allura’s surroundings. The location looked oddly familiar. He recognized it as the interior of the Castle of Lions.

“Uh… I think so.” Shiro looked around for the Atlas, but it wasn’t there.

The Castle of Lions was in its place.

Shiro and the rest of the paladins entered the castles hangar, though after getting out, he noticed something major. Keith exited out of the Red Lion while Lance exited out of the Blue Lion. Pidge and Hunk exited their lions respectively. Things were back like they used to be… But why?

“Shiro?” Keith looked in his direction, lost and confused. “I traveled back in time for a few hours. What happened?”

“I don’t know. I guess that rift we entered was like a time machine. I told Adam all I could remember. Did it work?” Shiro knew he was being vague, but his mind wasn’t in the place for explaining.

Lance shrugged. “Guess we’re about to find out.”

They left the hangar, and immediately upon entering the castle, Shiro caught sight of a similar face.

Adam.

He lived.


	8. Royal AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During his eighteenth birthday, Adam is forced to choose a prince or princess to marry. However, one stands out amongst the rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me if I messed up on the constellations part! I have no idea what constellations are visible in the Pacific, so please ignore any small errors with this.

For Prince Adam’s eighteenth birthday, he wished he could enjoy a delicious feast and venture outside of the kingdom for the day.

Unfortunately, the peer pressure from his dead ancestors had other plans. Since it was his eighteenth birthday, princes and princesses across the Pacific flocked to his kingdom in attempts to woo him. At the end of the day, Adam would be forced to select one person he would like to marry.

Considering Adam’s kingdom was known for its wealth, and how the event was being held in his own throne room, he could already tell most of the candidates would only be interested in him for his money.

After breakfast, his father dressed him in an elegant, burgundy velvet coat. As his mother combed his hair, she smiled, wiping a tear from her eye.

The time was now nine in the morning. The interviews were about to begin.

The kingdom’s royal suitor arrived, escorting Adam to the throne room.

-

Adam absolutely dreaded this experience. It was now sometime in the afternoon, and he’d talked with countless princes and princesses for thirty minutes each. He didn’t feel an emotional connection with any of them.

Though he couldn’t remember most of their names or the kingdoms they were from, there were two that stood out to him, though in unfavorable ways.

The first candidate that entered was Prince Abyasa of Tanah Pengetahuan. All he did was boast about his scientific discoveries. Adam couldn’t even understand what he was talking about most of the time. Eventually the prince came to the topic of how the funds from Adam’s kingdom could lead to revolutionary breakthroughs. It occurred to him that Abyasa only cared about Adam for his money.

Another candidate he remembered was Princess Adalina of Arte y Moda. She was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen, and the vibrant Spanish dress she wore had the power to make almost anyone swoon. All except for Adam, who thought she was shallow, vain, and deeply irritating. Her voice was the equivalent to nails on a chalkboard, and all she did was ramble on about how great she and her people were, completely disregarding Adam’s interests. It seemed like she only wanted to marry Adam for either his looks or his wealth.

They were finally down to the last candidate, and Adam prayed that this person would capture his interest, since he couldn’t bear the thought of choosing any of the Princes and Princesses he interviewed.

The kingdom’s royal suitor brought out a man dressed in a humble kimono, who bowed down on one knee after being presented in front of the throne. The first thing Adam noticed was a scar across his nose. Adam considered him to be extremely handsome regardless, especially since this man didn’t seem cocky like nearly everyone else was.

He also noticed something else about him. He had a golden prosthetic arm, held together by gears and wires. Adam thought it was interesting, yet he wanted to know how he got it.

“Prince Adam, may I present to you, Commander and Prince of Tōi Tochi, Shiro,” said the royal suitor. He proceeded to take his place next to the throne.

“Prince Adam of Ilha Verde, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you.”

This man’s husky and warm voice immediately blew Adam away. He found it pleasing to listen to. He could listen to him talk for hours.

But having a sexy voice and good looks alone won’t make a person a good lifetime partner. They would need to connect to Adam on an emotional level, also.

“What are some of your interests, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well,” He stood up straight, hands behind his back. “I have always felt passionate about astronomy. I even chose it as my second area of study, along with world affairs.”

Shiro was the first person who mentioned astronomy that day. That Adalina girl mentioned how her and Adam’s signs were compatible, but Adam strongly disagreed, since she wasn’t interested in her at all. After all, she was referring to astrology.

Astronomy and astrology are two completely different things.

“I’m a big fan of astronomy myself. Do you have a favorite constellation?”

“Hmm… If I had to choose, it would have to be Sagittarius. It’s not my zodiac sign, so I’m not biased towards it, but I just think it’s interesting. I love how it points to the center of the Milky Way. The zodiac in general is fascinating.” He met eye contact with Adam again. “And yours?”

Adam had to admit that he was disappointed. Of course this seemingly perfect man had to be a fan of the zodiac.

“I’d say my favorite is Orion. I’m not a big fan of the zodiac.”

“How much do you know about the zodiac?”

Well, he got me.

“Um… there’s twelve constellations in it? I know what those constellations are, but-” Adam paused, hoping to think of something else to add, but nothing. He knew it would be best to come clean. “To be honest, I always thought astrology was overrated. I lured me away from studying the zodiac more carefully.”

“Why, I would love to teach you more about it.”

Adam smiled, probably the first time in a week. “That would be great.”

The royal suitor cleared his throat, signalling that the subject should change. Adam forgot that he wasn’t supposed to say things such as, “That would be great.” Gotta love being a Prince…

“Do you have any experience with archery or muscle building?”

“I am very fond of both. Since I was a young boy, I trained every single day. I also joined the military at a young age, quickly rising up the ranks.”

Adam wanted to ask a question he wasn’t sure was invasive or not. He decided to ask.

“What’s it like doing archery with a prosthetic? Or do you shoot with your left hand? I apologize if this is an invasive question. I’m just curious.”

“Oh, well, It’s definitely hard to get used to at first. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I managed.” He seemed like he wasn’t expecting that question.

Adam could already imagine the two of them shooting arrows together in the mornings. He couldn’t imagine that with any of the other candidates.

For the rest of the half hour, the two of them talked about horseback riding and exploring their lands, laughing and grinning.

The time was now up, and after saying goodbye, he went with the other candidates.

A few minutes up, the royal suitor lined everyone up in front of Adam. They all stood with their hands in front of them, fingers gripped around wrist. He could even see the nervousness in most of their facial expressions.

“Prince Adam, whom do you wish to marry?” asked the royal suitor.

Adam instantly met eye contact with Shiro at the end of the line. This question had an obvious answer.

“Prince Shiro of Tōi Tochi.”

The royal suitor and a few of the candidates clapped, turning to leave. Most of them complained, however, and Adalina made quite the scene on her way out.

This mess was now over. He found the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and he felt like the luckiest guy on the planet. Not because of his fortune, or his looks, but because he had someone to bond with.


	9. Historical/Pirate AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adashi Titanic AU inspired by the movie Titanic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter showcases a suicide attempt. PLEASE keep this in mind before continuing.

Adam had enough with his soul-sucking first class life.

He couldn’t do a single thing without someone ridiculing his actions. He was engaged to Roy, a selfish yet wealthy prick. Worst of all, he had no free will whatsoever. Adam knew that he was forever bound to this fate of following the commands of others.

Now, he was on this so-called unsinkable ship, and he never felt more miserable in his life. There was nothing worse than being surrounded by water with nowhere to go.

However, there was one way off that miserable boat.

Adam slammed the table, storming out of the parlor. He could hear murmurs from the people around him before the door closed behind him. He didn’t care what they thought. It wouldn’t matter, after all.

Suppressing screams and sobs, he grunted as he sped down the hall and onto the deck. As soon as he reached the door, he pushed it open, barely slowing his speed.

The cool, salty air of night whipped through his hair, tousling it in many directions. He didn’t know if it was either his peak emotions or the sting from the frigid wind, but he began to cry. Sob, even.

Sobbing, down the deck he ran. After running for what felt like ages, he finally reached the rail at the back of the boat.

_This is it,_ he said to himself.

_The end to it all._

His foot latched onto the lower bar of the railing. His heart rate sped, but he kept going. He made it over to the other side of the rail. He could barely breathe, but he kept going. Adam’s final goal was to turn himself around but leap. He turned around, but he hesitated.

_Why can’t you do this?_ he told himself. _You absolutely dread your life. Why must you be afraid?_

“Don’t do this. Please.”

Adam’s head whipped around, seeing a handsome young man with dark, messy hair and a worn coat. Based on his appearance, he was most likely of a lower class.

Whoever he was, he couldn’t tell Adam what to do.

“Don’t come any closer!”

The man held his hands up, stumbling back. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m putting an end to this. I hate this awful ship and never having a say in anything.”

“If you wanted to end your life, you would’ve done it already. There’s something holding you back.”

This made Adam think, though not enough to completely change his mind. He couldn’t figure out why he held back, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to find a way out.

“I’ll let go.”

“Then I’ll have to jump in after you. That water is cold—you know—around freezing. I’m a good swimmer, but a plunge in water that cold is deadly.”

Reality sunk in, and Adam became more aware of the situation he was in. He would die if he let go.

_Well, obviously._

“You have a life to live. Don’t waste it like this.”

“You said it yourself. You have a life to live, and here you are, about to waste it.”

“You don’t know me. I have no say in how my life turns out. It’s destined to be awful.”

“Things can change. Just… Please.” The stranger held his hand out. “Don’t make me jump after you.”

Adam looked at this man, at the water, him, the water, then him again. He didn’t know why, but he accepted the gesture, grasping onto his hand.

“I’m Takashi Shirogane, but please, call me Shiro. And you?”

Beat. “Adam Wright.”

Adam began to turn towards Shiro. However, his foot slipped, and he began to fall. Still grabbing onto Shiro’s hand, Adam barely held onto the rail with his other hand, screaming for his life.

“Help! Help!” he shrieked, struggling to maintain his grip.

“I won’t let go of you. I got you.”

Shiro, visibly pained from the force of holding onto Adam, strengthened his grip. It didn’t look like he could take much more of this.

He pulled Adam up over the railing, and they toppled on top of each other, tangled in arms.

“Hey! Get your hands off my fiancée!”

_Oh, great. It’s Roy._

Roy pulled Shiro away from Adam, pinning him to the ground with one hand and choking him with the other. Shiro struggled to free himself from the tough grasp. Adam, enraged at the right, tried to shove Roy off of him.

“Roy, leave him alone! This is all a huge misunderstanding. You see, I was looking at the, umm… _propellers_ of the boat. Yeah, propellers. I accidentally slipped. He saved my life.”

“Is that so?” Roy loosened his grip, though only slightly. “So you’re saying this man is a hero?”

“Yes, he is.”

Roy completely let go this time. Shiro gasped for air, holding his throat, coughing.

“I’ll let the man slide for the day, but I’ve got my eye on you,” said Roy as he gave Shiro the stare of death before leaving the deck.

Now that Roy was gone, Adam rushed over to Shiro to make sure he was okay. “Are you alright?”

He coughed again before saying, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Adam crossed his arms, looking away. “He treats me like I’m property.”

Shiro stood, using his hand to prop himself up. Finally, he spoke again, staring deep into Adam’s eyes. “You’re so much more than that.”

There was something about this man that Adam seemed to fall in love with, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Unlike Roy, this man actually cared about his well being.

If only he had a say.


	10. Harry Potter AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro video chats with Adam after being at a sorcery boarding school for two weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprize! Since I’m not familiar with Harry Potter, I wasn’t planning on writing anything, but I decided to write about Shiro being a wizard.
> 
> NOTE: This isn’t actually a Harry Potter AU, but is still centric around the concept of sorcery and wizards.

That afternoon, Shiro turned on his laptop, sitting at his desk near the window of his dorm. He decided to open his window, letting in the cool autumn breeze. The leaves of the maple trees in the commons began turning orange, students passing by wore rather warm clothing, and the sun set much earlier in the day. This certainly beat the bland atmosphere of the desert back at home.

However, there was something back home that he missed; _someone_ , to be precise.

Shiro opened Skype, calling Adam, his boyfriend from back at home. He felt bad for not texting him since the first day he moved to this school. _Hopefully he’ll understand._

Adam answered, his face popping up on the screen. In this moment, Shiro realized how much he missed Adam. He missed listening to his voice, seeing his face in person, and holding him close. It almost made him want to sneak out in the middle of the night and catch the train back home.

“Hey, Takashi.”

“Hey, Adam.”

Awkward so far. There was so much more he wanted to say besides “Hey, Adam.”

“How’s wizarding school working out for you?” His voice cracked as he said this, and he sounded almost hurt, yet deadpan at the same time. It occurred to Shiro that Adam was probably pissed at him for not talking to him in a while.

“It’s actually called Le Beauchȇne’s Academy of Sorcery and Magic,” Shiro mocked.

“Same thing, wise guy.”

“But really, it’s going okay. I’m learning the basics of fire magic. Want me to show you?”

Shiro grabbed his wand out of his backpack and attempted to cast a fire ring. Part of his hair caught on fire instead, and he screamed, dumping his water bottle over himself. Adam laughed on the other end, rubbing his forehead.

“God, you’re so stupid.”

“I’ll take that as a complement.” Shiro slipped his wand back in his backpack, shooting quick glances around his dorm room, and an idea occurred to him. “Oh, let me give you a virtual tour of my room now that I’ve gotten settled and everything. It looks a lot cozier in person. Photos don’t do it justice.”

Shiro picked his laptop up, aiming the camera around the room, pointing extra focus to the window. He couldn’t help but dwell over how great the atmosphere was. He was that type of guy, after all. He hoped Adam wouldn’t call him out on his messy sheets and cluttered desk.

“Takashi, clean your room. It looks like a bomb went off.”

Shiro scoffed, placing the laptop back on the desk. “You’re just a boring minimalist.”

The two sat in a long, uncomfortable silence until Adam cleared his throat.

“Senior year is _great_ , thanks for asking. Absolutely sucks not having you here. Veronica keeps teasing me, and it’s rough not being able to study with you. Kinda miss watching movies with you and stargazing in the back of my dad’s truck and stuff. Makes it a little hard to focus.”

Ironically, Shiro couldn’t stop thinking about those same exact memories. Studying alone took him twice as long to grasp information, and he couldn’t even bear the thought of watching a movie alone. Same with stargazing.

“I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.”

“But it doesn’t seem like you’re missing me _too_ much. It’s been two weeks since you last texted me. For all I know, you could’ve found a new boyfriend who can probably cast dragons out of thin air; heck, maybe even a _girl_. That headmistress seems like she has the power to change your sexuality.”

Shiro wasn’t sure if what Adam said surprised him or if he assumed all along. He had been a real jerk lately, and he doubted he could make it up.

“Look, I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you lately. I’ve been super busy with academics and stuff. All of the classes here are college level, and with all the magic stuff they have you learning, that doesn’t leave much time for a straight A student like me to have time to themselves.”

“Sending a quick text doesn’t take that long. You could’ve at least done that.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I’ve been really distracted and tired lately. I’ll make it up to you though. I promise. There’s a visiting day next weekend. Maybe you could come?”

“I guess. Just please don’t stress out too much. Also don’t die, because you literally set yourself on fire a second ago.”

“Yeah, gotta work on that. Thank you for pointing that out.”

Adam’s mom yelled something in Portuguese in the background. Based on the time, he guessed that she was calling him down to dinner.

“I’ll be down in a minute!” Adam yelled. He turned back to the camera. “I gotta go. Take care.”

He logged off, leaving Shiro to stare at himself on the screen.

Shiro felt like what he said to Adam wasn’t enough. He had to do something instead of just talking to him.

He slipped on his coat, grabbed his backpack, and left towards the train station.


	11. Angel&Demon/Mythological AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro decided to scuba dive in a remote location, but he never would’ve expected to come across a merman.  
> -  
> An AU where Adam is a merman.

You would think living on a tropical island would be relaxing, right?

Wrong. Resort owner Takashi Shirogane could never get a break. He operated the resort twelve hours a day Monday through Friday. He would often work on Saturdays as well. Sundays were the only days where he was free to his own leisure, yet it was hard not to think about his resort while he was away.

Shiro had been passionate about scuba diving since he was a child. Him and his grandfather would rent scuba gear every once in a while and dive near the popular diving spots, exploring reefs and collecting shells. Shiro still loved diving after that, even saving up for years to buy a complete set. He considered all those long hours at work to be worth it.

It was finally Sunday, and Shiro could finally enjoy the leisure he deserved. Feeling rather adventurous, he drove his boat to far out in the ocean. Fastening his scuba year, he dived in, blunging into the blue.

This spot was certainly unlike anything Shiro had ever seen before. A rather large sunken ship wedged itself into the ocean floor, fish swimming in and out of its broken windows. Shiro wondered how many humans have been out here before, if any at all.

He could feel something—or _someone_ —swam past him. Shiro turned out of curiosity, whipping his head around.

He made eye contact with the person.

This mysterious stranger had the most gorgeous eyes Shiro had ever seen, framed by chocolate brown hair. He didn’t have any gear on, and Shiro wondered how he was surviving this deep underwater.

Until he saw it.

An orange scaly tail.

The stranger’s eyes grew wide, and he swam away in a frenzy, leaving Shiro alone by the wreckage.

-

That evening, Shiro spent the night at his shack near the beach, sketching the mysterious merman he saw. He tried drawing what he could from memory. After all, it was hard not to forget. How could you forget an encounter with a mermaid, after all; _especially_ an attractive one?

After he returned to his boat, the first thing he did was write down the coordinates of the dive spot he came across. The last thing he wanted was to completely forget where this place was.

He considered taking the day off from the resort tomorrow and go back to the site instead, but he figured it would be cruel to call in on such short notice, so he decided to go to work Monday and take the next day off.

Shiro eventually nodded off to sleep, letting the sketchbook slide off his body and onto the bed.

-

Shiro woke up at 5 am that morning as usual. However, this was no ordinary morning. Just as he was about to leave the house a few minutes later, that’s when he saw him.

The merman he saw the day before, this time with scaly legs instead of a tail, stumbling over the white sands.

He was also completely naked, which Shiro considered to be extremely awkward. _What is this, Naked and Afraid_? He did his best to ignore this, making eye contact with him and not looking away even for a second.

The two men walked towards each other, slow and intimate, until they finally a few feet away from each other. Shiro tried to speak, but no words came out. He was left absolutely speechless.

“H-Hi…” Shiro finally said.

“Um, hello.” The merman paused, staring at Shiro’s facial features. “Wait, you look familiar. Have I seen you before?”

“Yes. I believe so. Yesterday, right?”

“Yeah, how could I forget?”

The two stared at each other in another awkward silence until Shiro finally spoke again.

“What’s your name?”

A long beat. Then, “Adam. And yours?”

“My name is Shiro.” He glanced at the shack, then back at Adam. “Would you like to stay at my shack for a while? I’ll let you borrow my clothes for now.”

“What are clothes?”

Shiro laughed, but realized that Adam was being serious. He cleared his throat, looking away. “They’re something you need in order to blend in with humans.”

“Got it.”

Shiro angled his body towards the shack. “Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying for now.”

Adam hesitated for a good minute, looking between Shiro and the ocean, before choosing to follow him inside.

As Shiro gave him clothes and a quick tour around the place, he knew he’d be late to work, but he didn’t care. All he thought about was how things would play out between him and Adam from here. How long would he stay? Would he give Adam a tour around the island on Tuesday?

The unknown felt rather refreshing to Shiro, and he embraced it with open arms.


	12. Supernatural/Fantasy AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam is a veterinarian who just moved to the strange town of Paranormal Bay for a job. Shiro is a retired veteran who studies the supernatural for a living. On Adam’s first day in town, the two cross paths in dire circumstances.

Adam had been a veterinarian for a few years now. He was offered a high paying job in a small town called Paranormal Bay. If the name itself didn’t explain it all, the town had the highest rate of supernatural activity than anywhere else in the world. Adam didn’t believe in the supernatural, so this didn’t scare him. He was rather amused, though.

This town was also known for its high injury and death tolls, though, which was why Adam was needed for this job. This concerned him a little, but he accepted the offer anyway.

As he finished the last steps of decorating his condo, he heard a thundering roar from the forest, shaking the treetops. Birds flew off, squawking, clearly startled. Everything about it screamed “danger”, but Adam wanted to prove whether or not it was a hoax. Though he didn’t think anything bad would happen, he ordered his dog, Simon, to stay inside. He grabbed his phone, hit the record button, and ventured into the forest.

-

“I’m hooked on a feeling; I’m high on believing!”

  


Shiro joined the path of scientific investigation after retiring from the military. This was one of the main reasons he went to college before enlisting: he wanted to explore his passions in science. After being discharged from the military after a rather unfortunate incident that lead to him losing his arm, he applied for a job at Paranormal Labs and was accepted. He moved into a shack in the forest with lots of land, allowing for him to observe the paranormal. It was a rather peaceful life, and Shiro was an incredibly talented man.

Right now, he was using this talent to sing along to “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede, jotting down notes about his recent harvest.

A deep rumble sounded from nearby, startling Shiro for a second. After realizing what it was, he thought, _Here we go again_.

He stopped the record player, grabbed his assault rifle, made sure his cat was safe, and left the house.

-

Shiro wandered around the forest, searching for footprints or unusual sounds, but there was nothing.

Nothing until another roar rustled through the forest, followed by a human scream, coming from an area near the town.

_Someone was in danger._

He sprinted towards the direction of the noise, tightly holding onto the rifle, getting ready to attack. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a rather large monster pinning down someone. The man hyperventilated, not even calling for help. He seemed scared out of his mind, frozen.

Shiro pointed the rifle at the monster, firing until it screamed in response. It looked in Shiro’s direction, still holding onto its victim. Shiro took this opportunity to fire inside its mouth, causing it to lose control and begin to die. He felt bad for having to shoot this monster numerous times, but this man’s safety was his top priority.

As the monster fell to the ground, Shiro tackled the man out of the way before it crushed him. They tumbled, accidentally touching faces. Shiro moved away a bit, embarrassed, trying to hide the blush from his cheeks.

“S-Sorry about that… Are you okay?” he asked.

The man took a minute to answer as he slowed his breath. He repositioned his glasses, looking up at Shiro from the ground. “Yeah, I think I’m good. You saved me. Thank you.”

“I take it you’re new around here, right?” Though Shiro knew he could’ve been wrong, he assumed this stranger had no clue about the mysterious forces of these woods. Not only that, but Shiro had never seen him around before.

“Yeah, I am. How did you guess?”

“I’ve never seen you before, plus only an idiot would wander into these woods alone while knowing what to expect. Nearly all the citizens of this town are aware of the supernatural activity, so I assume you thought that noise was a prank and decided to investigate.”

“That’s exactly what happened, actually. You’re pretty good at observations.”

“It’s what I do for a living, so how could I not? I get paid to study these things.”

“You certainly seem like an interesting guy.” The man stood from the ground, dusting off spoil and slobber from his pants. “Wanna go out for dinner later tonight? I owe you one.”

“Uh…” He thought about it for a moment, but finally made up his mind. “Yes, I’d love to.”

“I look forward to it. I’m Adam, by the way,” he said as he held his hand out.

“Shiro,” he replied as he accepted the handshake. He reached for his phone, opening his contacts and giving it to Adam. “Can you give me your number?”

Adam entered his contact information, typing out his number. “You probably know this area better than I do. Any place you recommend?”

“Oh, definitely Hunk’s Diner. I’ll text you with directions. Is seven okay?” He knew the owner of the restaurant pretty well, not to mention that thinking of the food alone made his mouth water.

“Seven sounds good.” Adam gave the phone back to him. “You gotta tell me more about this weird place.”

“That would be great.”

Adam looked at the town, then back at Shiro. “Anyway, I gotta go, but I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

“You too.”

As Shiro grabbed his assault rifle and began to walk back to his shack, he heard Adam talking in the background. He stopped for a moment to listen.

“Holy. Crap. I forgot I was recording this. I was almost eaten alive by that monster, but this super amazing guy saved my life. I asked him on a date and he said yes! I can’t wait to see where this goes.”

Shiro chuckled, continuing to make his way back. For once, his mind wasn’t focused on observations. Instead, he couldn’t help but ponder what he would wear that night.


	13. Winter/Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Adam walk about a town square during winter. Meanwhile, both heartbreaking and beautiful words are spoken that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based this chapter on one of my own previous memories of walking around a shopping center with my grandmother during this time of year back in 2017. That entire time I had the song Garden of England by Alt-J stuck in my head, so that’s why I threw in the small detail of the band playing in the background. Feel free to listen to that song as you read this, if you like listening to music while you read.

A band stood near the middle of the square, playing songs on woodwind instruments, enriching the atmosphere with calming energy.

Shiro and Adam walked around the town square of a suburb near Plaht City, holding gloved hands. They’ve been on winter break for quite a while now, and Adam felt quite relieved to be doing something else besides flight drills and studying. He assumed Shiro felt the same way.

However, one look at Shiro signaled something was off. He didn’t seem to be enjoying the lights—or anything—whatsoever.

“‘Kashi,” Adam said while nudging Shiro’s shoulder. “You doing okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”

The way he shrugged off the question seemed concerning, so Adam changed the subject. He didn’t want to interrogate him, after all.

“It’s pretty cold out, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Your nose is pretty red, so it’s kinda obvious.”

“Is it?”

Adam removed his glove, holding his hand to Shiro’s cheek. “Woah, that’s cold.”

“Your hand feels pretty nice.”

Adam chuckled, sliding his glove back on. Shiro didn’t seem to laugh, or even smile, however. This made Adam even more worried.

He remembered Shiro had a doctor’s appointment earlier that day. Perhaps that could’ve been the cause of Shiro’s change in mood.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you: How did that appointment with your doctor go today?”

Shiro froze in place, and Adam knew it wasn’t from the temperature.

“Takashi?”

“Can we sit down for a moment?” Shiro wiped the sweat from his forehead despite it being so hold out. He was clearly nervous about something.

The two found a bench overlooking a massive and decked out Christmas tree, gazebo, and small pond. Shiro’s leg bounced as soon as they sat down. Adam had never seen him this anxious.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

A very long and excruciating pause. A sigh, then four words that changed everything.

“I’m going to die.”

Adam didn’t know what to think. _I’m going to die_ could be used in many different contexts. Perhaps Shiro hadn’t accepted the fact that all life comes to an end.

“Well, yeah. It happens to all of us eventually.”

“No, Adam. This is different.”

The realization kicked in, heavy and dark, like a shadow tying Adam to that bench.

“I have a disease, and I’m only expected to live until my late twenties to early thirties at most.”

Adam’s stomach sank to the stone cold pavement. “What? No…”

“I’m sorry, but it’s true. I don’t have much longer to live.”

All those fantasies Adam had about adopting kids with Shiro and living with him until they died of old age disintegrated into the frigid night. They began falling from the sky—one snowflake for each fantasy—getting caught in clothing and on rooftops and on trees. Adam knew that he could no longer dream of a long and peaceful life with him.

But they could make the most of the time Shiro had left.

Adam grabbed Shiro’s hand, running towards the giant gazebo.

“Woah, hey! Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

They finally made it inside the structure. Adam’s heart pounded, but he knew he had to do this now or never. Every single second mattered.

“I’ve been planning on doing this for a while now, and I’ve been saving up for it, but figured I should do this now. I think it’s time I finally do this.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Go on?”

“I imagined spending the rest of my life with you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’ll happen, but I figured we should make the most of the time you have left.”

A pause, this time filled with excitement rather than dread. “What are you saying?”

Adam got on one knee, collapsing Shiro’s hand between his own two.

This was the opportune moment, and Adam knew he had to take it.

“Takashi Shirogane, will you marry me?”

Shiro gasped, holding a hand over his mouth. However, he seemed conflicted, curling the hand near his mouth into a fist. For at least a minute, his eyes darted all over the place, as if they were chasing fireflies.

“But why?” he finally asked. “Why would you want to stick around when my body takes a turn for the worst? My death would be slow, and you’d have to take care of me for pretty much everything. I don’t want to do that to you. You have a life to live, and I don’t want to be a burden on you.”

Adam couldn’t decide what hurt more: finding out Shiro was going to die early or the fact that he didn’t want to marry Adam due to feeling like a burden.

“You’re not a burden. I’d gladly stick with you until the end. Sure, it’ll be rough at times, and extremely heartbreaking, but I want to be there for you. I want to make even more memories with you. Did you seriously think I was gonna leave you after knowing that?” Adam couldn’t help but laugh. “I mean-”

“Yes. I want to marry you. I won’t let this disease stop me from living life to the fullest.”

_That was a yes. He said yes!_

Adam passionately dipped him for a kiss, closing his eyes, living in the moment. He heard a few people cheering in the background, making him turn to look. They’ve gained an audience.

“I didn’t think anyone was looking,” said Shiro as he stood back up. This time, he was smiling for the first time that night, the first time that night. Nothing made Adam more joyful than seeing Shiro’s smile.

“Come on,” said Adam as he grasped Shiro’s hand. “Let’s go to the bookstore. You gotta admit, this one is pretty massive. It has _escalators_.”

“Woah, seriously? That’s awesome. Maybe we should check out some travel books and think of where we should go for our honeymoon.”

“I’d love that.”

The two men left the gazebo, holding hands, walking to the bookstore as the band continued to play. The snow continued to fall, fantasies that had seemingly gone away, yet were reincarnated.

Thus, they began day one of living life to the fullest.


	14. Soulmate AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A soulmate AU where you receive your soulmate’s injuries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter deals with blood and injury.

A year ago, the crew members of the Kerberos Mission were reported missing due to pilot error, presumed to be dead.

However, Adam knew something wasn’t right.

Most of the people on Earth have a soulmate who they are bonded to, like a voodoo doll. When a person gets injured, their soulmate receives the same injury. There would be exceptions, such as the removal of limbs, breaking or dislocating a bone, and fatal injuries.

Adam knew that Shiro was his soulmate since Shiro fell up the stairs on the first day of classes. He witnessed the event first-hand, and just as this boy made contact with the ground, Adam’s knee began to throb in pain. He knew it wasn’t just a coincidence.

After the crew of the Kerberos Mission went missing, instead if the injuries from Shiro stopping, they quadrupled. Every single day, Adam received an injury from his soulmate. They ranged from small bruises to severe cuts, covering nearly every square inch of his body. The one that was most visible was a scar across the nose, one of the first scars he’s gotten since Shiro was presumed to be dead.

As Adam’s coworkers noticed the scar across his nose, they began teasing him that perhaps Shiro wasn’t his soulmate after all, since everyone thought he was dead. Adam didn’t want to believe it. Most of the wounds he received didn’t even look like they came from human weapons. Many of the injuries appeared to be from lasers. Or oddly shaped weapons.

Eventually, he had to start wearing long sleeves. Dealing with this was certainly a challenge on hot summer days, but he managed. It was better than listening to question his bond to Shiro, after all. For once, he wanted to be seen as a normal person again, instead of the soulmate of a person who had it rough.

Throughout the year he started gaining these injuries, he became deeply concerned about Shiro. He didn’t even want to imagine all the horrors he must have faced.

Adam was used to being woken up by pain, and especially waking up sore, but he never felt anything like this before. His right arm felt like it was being ripped off by a saw. He’d never experienced anything this painful before.

He screamed into a pillow to avoid waking his neighbors, clawing at his arm in agony. A circular band around his bicep formed, deep, slowly spreading around his arm. Blood seeped from the wound as it trickled down his arm. Once the two ends of the circle met, his entire arm from that point down became scarred. The scar resembled a burn, yet it was precise and surprisingly not that deep.

The pain continued, and Adam’s body couldn’t take it anymore.

His vision went black.

-

When he woke up, he felt a dull and surprisingly light pain plaguing his head. He questioned if Shiro was the explanation behind this headache.

His vision began to clear, and he found himself in a hospital room at the Garrison. He was now dressed in a hospital down, which was certainly different. A nurse was nearby, monitoring his condition.

“Mr. Wright! You’re awake.”

Adam looked at his arm again, scanning it. It still looked the same as before, though the blood was cleaned up now.

“We’ve put you on pain killers for the time being. After we prescribe you with some, you should be good to go.”

Adam wasn’t worried about the pain. He was worried about how Shiro was doing. The only explanation for this injury was that Shiro’s arm was removed somehow.

_But how? Why?_

“I hope my soulmate is okay.”

“Oh, yes. It looks like your soulmate’s right arm was removed. I wish I knew how he was doing, but I’m wishing him the best of luck; you and him both.”

This didn’t make Adam feel any better, but he thanked her anyway. After receiving his prescription, he stepped outside, about to order a ride back to his apartment. The time was around 10:30 pm. Adam couldn’t believe be slept that long.

“Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat: All students are to remain in barracks until further notice.”

Iverson’s voice over the intercom.

A large, burning object seemed to fall from the sky. Adam assumed it was a meteor, though it was usual for a meteor this size to break through Earth’s atmosphere.

It was unusual for any large object to break through Earth’s atmosphere, actually.

The object crashed into the desert, creating a large explosion of sand. Multiple land rovers were sent to the crash site.

Adam used his phone camera to get a closer look. It was a ship, odd and peculiar, definitely not like any Garrison model. He decided to go out and investigate.

He sprinted while trying to get there, but he eventually got within distance. He got to a point where he couldn’t go further without being spotted, so he listened to what the Garrison staff were saying.

Shiro was supposedly on that ship.

He knew he had to find a way on that ship.

-

He stole a hazmat suit, using it to sneak on. He tried not to get too distracted, but couldn’t help but notice Shiro’s changed appearance.

His hair was now partially white. They shared the same scar over their noses, and a prosthetic replaced Shiro’s right arm.

That explained it all.

Iverson came in as Shiro was talking about something called Voltron and how aliens were coming. No one seemed to listen, but Adam believed every single word he said.

There was a panic in Shiro’s voice and expression. He seemed scared to death, with warning the Garrison being his only goal in mind.

A little after Shiro was put under, an intruder broke in.

“Hey!” Iverson yelled.

The intruder knocked Iverson out first, then another technician. Adam knew it wouldn’t be long before he’d get knocked out too.

And he was right.

Being unconscious for the second time in a row.


	15. Stargazing/Earth&Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro stargazes at different moments of his life, each time resembling a major change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This poem isn’t canon-compliant but S8 didn’t exist in my mind, so...

“I’m glad to be watching the stars with you,”

I said as I laid by your side

on the rooftop at the Garrison.

The night sky was a countless sea of lights.

I dreamed of being up there someday,

and you seemed happy about that.

We were fifteen,

young without a care in the world,

dreaming of the world up there.

-

“I’m glad to be watching the stars with you,”

I said as we laid on the grass outside.

I told you what space was like up close.

I was finally more familiar with the constellations at the time.

We would lay there,

pointing out our favorite ones.

We were twenty-three,

and we found out that I didn’t have much time left on Earth,

but you said I would become one among the stars when my time was up.

-

“I’m glad to be watching the stars with you,”

I said as I sat in the bridge of the Castle of Lions,

having the feeling you were watching the stars from Earth.

The stars looked different compared to being on Earth.

The constellations weren’t even the same.

I wondered if these alien species in the area were familiar with naming the patterns of stars.

We were twenty-five,

and though we no longer had the same desires,

I hoped I would see you again.

-

“I’m glad to be watching the stars with you,”

I said as I sat on the edge of a cliff,

completely alone this time.

As you told me I would become a star when I die,

I liked to imagine you up there, young and luminous.

Though I wished you were by my side.

I was twenty-six,

and I knew you were gone for good. There was no denying it.

Guess I’d see you in another life.

-

“I’m glad to be watching the stars with you,”

I said as I held your scarred hand. I never thought I’d see you again,

but there we were, in the bridge on the Atlas.

For the first time in years,

the stars had new life,

and I could look at them without feeling ill.

I was twenty-seven and you were thirty.

We found you inside a Galra ship,

and you claimed to have been pulled from the wreckage.

You survived.

-

“I’m glad to be watching the stars with you,”

you say to me as you hold my hand,

sitting on the porch, looking up at the sky.

It feels good to finally be settled on Earth,

where all the constellations are familiar.

Nothing is quite like this.

We are in our sixties,

and your hair color now resembles mine.

Our kids have grown, time has changed, but our love persisted.

I’m glad I got to grow old with you.


	16. First/Date/Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro goes on his first date with Adam at the mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based this entire chapter off my first date several years ago. Unfortunately it wasn’t as great as this but it was definitely exciting.
> 
> I admit... I listened to Material Girl while writing the end.

That morning, Shiro left the train station and entered the mall through one of the major department stores. Last minute Valentine’s Day shoppers milled through the lingerie, makeup, and perfume departments in particular, hoping to find the perfect gift for their lover.

As Shiro passed through the marble isles, he looked down at the box of chocolate and the bouquet of orange roses in his hands. Since Adam loved chocolate, and his favorite color was orange, Shiro hoped he chose the perfect gift.

He reached the end of the department store and entered the mall, where Adam waited near a sitting area. He seemed dashing as ever, wearing his iconic brown trench coat but with a collared shirt instead of a vintage T-shirt. The way he smiled upon Shiro’s entry brightened the entire mall, and it almost distracted Shiro.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, babe!” said Shiro as he got slightly closer.

“Awe, happy Valentine’s Day to you too,” He said as he extended his arms, ready to give him a hug, but noticed the items in Shiro’s hands. “Oh my gosh, thank you!”

“It was the least I could do. Since this is our first date, and especially since it’s Valentine’s Day, I wanted to make it special.”

“You didn’t have to do that. I would’ve been happy regardless.” He paused for a brief moment. “Oh yeah, I got something for you.”

He held out a small gift bag. Shiro sat down, reaching inside the bag. Adam bought him a small stuffed animal, resembling a black cat. It bore resemblance to the one he had back home.

“It reminds me of my cat from back home. It’s so cute. Thank you!”

They hugged each other for a good minute. Shiro noticed that Adam wore cologne that day in particular. It smelled rather nice, actually, and put Shiro in an even more romantic mood.

“Where are we gonna put these gifts?” Adam asked after pulling away. “We’re probably gonna be carrying stuff if we buy anything.”

Shiro realized that he screwed up by not bringing a bag. “I-”

“I’ll get a backpack from here. The one I have now for school is falling apart, anyway, so I might as well get a new one.”

They went inside Hot Topic, and Adam chose a galaxy patterned backpack from the selection of bags.

“Psh, Adam, you’re so basic. We literally go to school at the Galaxy Garrison, and you  _ still _ want to deck yourself out with the space aesthetic.”

“Don’t judge me, okay? Jeez.”

Shiro gasped as he saw the mugs. There was one that stood out to him in particular; it had the symbol of his favorite superhero on it. He knew he had to get it.

After getting the backpack and the mug, the two left the store, stopping for a moment to put the gifts in the bag.

“Much better,” said Adam as he zipped the backpack and put it on. He grabbed Shiro’s hand. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

They brought some slices of pizza from a stall in the food court. As they ate, they talked about cartoons and things at the Garrison. Afterwards, they got cups of rolled ice cream. The entire process of making it mesmerized Shiro: from when the syrup is poured onto the table, to when it’s scraped into rolls, to when additional toppings are added to the cup.

As the two ate their ice cream, they stopped in several stores, trying on shoes different outfits. They even stopped in a store with all the latest tech, and Shiro made a mental note of things to save up for.

The two entered Macy’s, and Adam gasped as he saw the outfit a mannequin had on. Shiro could definitely see why Adam was so impressed. The combination of the orange windbreaker, black Columbia shirt and camo pants was definitely the most eye catching in the room.

Shiro knew he had to get it for him.

“How much is-?” Adam checked the price tags of each article of clothing, then counted with his fingers a bit. “Oh…”

The windbreaker alone was quite expensive, but everything else combined would cost a fortune. Shiro knew he didn’t have enough money to get everything in one setting.

“How about I buy you the windbreaker for now. We can come back for the other stuff once we have more money.”

“Oh, no, I shouldn’t-”

“I want to do this for you.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Adam blushed, holding a hand to the side of his face. “That’s so sweet of you. I have to get something for you, also.”

After Shiro grabbed one of the windbreakers from the stack, the two looked around for a few minutes before Adam wandered over to a rack, showcasing the flannel jacket in front. “Look!”

Not only did the jacket had a hoodie, but it looked super comfy. It was perfect.

“Woah, I love it.”

“Awesome.” Adam sifted through the rack, choosing one. “Let’s try these on. Oh, and maybe we can do something else while we’re at it, also.”

“O-Oh…?” Shiro asked, extremely flustered. What did he mean by that?

The two entered a stall far away from the dressing room entrance. Luckily there was no one working there at the moment. Shiro shut the door, locking it behind him.

“Okay, Adam. What did you want to-?”

Adam leaned over, pressing his lips to Shiro’s, almost knocking him back into the door. The two stayed that way for several seconds. It almost felt like magic. He didn’t imagine his first kiss playing out like this, but he wouldn’t trade this moment for anything else.

The two pulled away for a second, then pulled back in for a makeout session. Adam slid his hand up the back of Shiro’s shirt—in a graceful yet suave manner—pulling him even closer.

“My first boyfriend, my first date, and my first kiss,” Shiro whispered as they pulled away again. “I love it.”

Adam ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair until they reached the back of his neck. “Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.”

They kissed each other one last time before trying on the clothes they grabbed, buying them, and heading back to the Garrison.


	17. Highschool AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adashi Highschool AU but with a twist: After bringing his cat to school, Shiro is sent to an alternative school, but it’s unlike what he imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference:
> 
> Garison High  
> \- Shiro  
> \- Adam  
> \- Keith  
> \- Lance  
> \- Pidge  
> \- Hunk
> 
> Altea High  
> \- Allura
> 
> Galra High  
> \- Lotor  
> \- Sendak

“Shirogane, I think you know why you’re here,” said Principal Sanda as she sat at her desk, looking down at Shiro. She glanced at Shiro’s grandfather, who remained with a blank face. Shiro wished he could get inside the man’s head.

Shiro’s cat cried inside the carrier resting on the desk.

“Yeah, I brought my cat to school…”

“Which caused a major distraction in your classroom,” Mrs. Sanda continued, “not to mention that there are many people in this school who are deathly allergic to cats. You could have killed someone.”

“This school is full of crackheads, I swear.” said one of the assistant principals as he walked by. “You got that one delinquent punching Coach Iverson in the eye, that McClain kid who streaked down the football field, that one kid who insulted you to your face, and a supposedly innocent boy who brought pot brownies to school! But this? Can it get any weirder?”

“What has gotten into these students this year?” Mrs. Sanda asked.

The assistant principal shrugged and continued walking.

“Mrs. Sanda, I’m sorry. In Japan, black cats are considered to be good luck. I thought bringing my precious Obsidian with me would not only help _me_ pass my exam, but the entire class.”

“Well, that’s not how we run things in America.” She sighed, sitting back down. “There are consequences for your actions. We’re shipping you to an alternative school for thirty days. We’ll release you as of now so you have time to prepare for your orientation. I’ll print out the dress code.”

Shiro couldn’t believe it. All he did was bring a cat to school, and now the principal wants to punish him by “shipping” him away for thirty days? This didn’t even sound legal. He also question why she used the term “shipping”, which was utter bullshit. He wasn’t just some FedEx package. He was a living and breathing person, and he yearned to be treated as such.

Mrs. Sanda typed away on her computer, clicked and scrolled for a few minutes. She clicked something else and the printer turned on, making that whirring noise. After the paper ejected itself from the printer, she grabbed it, handing it over to Shiro and his grandfather. Shiro began to read it off.

“All students must wear plain gray T-shirts tucked in at all times; an optional gray sweatshirt; straight black or blue jeans; white, gray, or black shoes; a belt…” Pretty typical. Shiro paused when he got to the hair part. “All students must have hair of a solid color? Miss, you realize I’d have to dye my hair, right?”

“I’m afraid so.” She clasped her hands together and unapologetically pouted, tilting her head. “That white tuft thing will have to go.”

“What if we don’t have enough time for that? This is so messed up. What if no one in the kid’s family can leave work to pick up their kid? What if they’re too poor to afford clothing that meets the dress code? This seems like inequality caused by capitalism, Miss.”

“Our country’s economic system has nothing to do with this situation.” She cleared her throat. “Read the back of the page. This states that you are not allowed on any other school property until after you leave the system. If you violate this, there will be action taken, and you will possibly be arrested.

“Wait, what?!” It was like this whole situation kept getting worse, and Shiro knew he needed to say something about it. “What about my AP testing? And prom? And that Science Club banquet? I’m the captain of the club and have a major speech to give at that event. I have to go!”

“We will make special arrangements for you to test on this campus. I could possibly arrange for you to go to prom, but not if you put up this behavior. As for Science Club, you won’t be allowed to attend any events for the entire time you are there.” “Now, leave before I extend your days. You are dismissed.”

Shiro reluctantly left with his grandfather, bringing his cat with them. They exited the building, and Shiro was sure that this could be one of the last times he would see it this year. He didn’t even get to say goodbye to his teachers. Hell, he couldn’t even say goodbye to his best friend, Matt. Shiro questioned how much he should explain to him over text.

Shiro and his grandfather entered the corolla, carefully placing the carrier in the back seat. The doors locked, and Shiro prepared for the worst, tensing his entire body.

“I can explain-”

“You don’t need to explain anything. That was quite the show you put on there. You stood up for yourself, and I’m proud of you for that.”

“So you’re not disappointed in me?”

“Oh no, I’m still disappointed, but not about the cat. I’m disappointed in you for not changing her mind.”

“Yeah, she’s hard to persuade.”

“But you’re still my badass grandson.” He looked at Shiro, grinning. “My badass, gay grandson.”

Shiro smiled back at him. He felt so lucky to have such a supportive grandfather. “Thank you.”

“How about we get some McDonald’s? Now, once we get to the store, I’m gonna give you some money and you’ll get the hair dye and clothes. Be quick, and see if they have everything there. If not then I’ll go back out and look for everything else we need once we get home. That hair isn’t gonna dye itself.”

Shiro chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “That sounds good, and you’re right about that.”

They drove down the street, and Shiro had no idea what this monstrosity would be like. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too bad.

-

During the short time they had left, Shiro dyed his hair while his grandfather went out to get the shirts. Shiro was able to find a belt at the store, plus he had pants and shoes that met dress code, so he didn’t need much. However, they couldn’t find a pain gray sweatshirt since it was spring.

When he and his grandfather entered the building, an older woman stopped him.

“I’m gonna need you empty your pockets and put them in this bin for me,” she said as she held out a bin. “I’m Mrs. Holt. And you are?”

“Shiro.” As he placed his cell phone and other belongings in the bin. He thought for a moment. Her last name sounded familiar. “Are you related to Mr. Holt? He was my AP Physics teacher.”

“Yes, actually. You’re in luck. I can communicate with him on any questions or concerns you may have about that class. He’s a busy guy, so he doesn’t check his email that often during the school day.”

“I’m aware. Thank you, by the way.”

Mrs. Holt gave Shiro his belongings back, then repeated the process with his grandfather. After Shiro’s picture was taken real quick, they were led to a carpeted classroom, where they waited on the principal. They were the only ones in the room with the exception of a middle schooler and his guardian.

The principal, Ms. Honerva, entered and gave a brief slide show of guidelines and expectations. The concept of binders was heavily stressed. If you did something out of line then your minder would be marked. Three marks in a week would lead to disciplinary action. A week without any marks would qualify you for completing a petition, which would allow you to get a day off your sentence if approved.

Shiro and his grandfather took quite a long time to read through and sign all of the papers. Normally Shiro would just sign it and leave, but he wanted to make sure that he fully understood everything. Since Mrs. Honerva told him to hurry up, he decided to finish signing everything and leave, hoping for the best.

He had no idea what his first day tomorrow would be like. He imagined noisy classrooms teachers yelling at the students to pipe down.Whatever it was, it didn’t seem like there was anything good about this place.

-

“Happy Friday, guys!”

He was now in second period with Mr. Wimbleton, his new history teacher. Before the bell rang, he was told to sit wherever, so he sat with a guy he recognized from the previous period. So far this Wimbleton guy seemed pretty energetic, not to mention that his red mustache seemed like an anomaly. This guy definitely seemed strange.

So far Shiro’s first period was rather boring. He had a guy named Mr. Kolivan for AP Physics. The assistant for that class was Ms. Luxia. She seemed pretty kind, though more on the sappy type. She made a cheesy speech about hope for their mandatory character lesson, which made Shiro feel like he was going to be sick. He loathed sappy speeches for some reason.

Since Shiro didn’t have a sweatshirt, he froze his ass off, trying not to shiver.

“Shiro, you definitely seem smart. You’re here for AP U.S. History. Lucky for you, there’s one person here who’s taking the same course. Say hi, Adam!”

“God, please…” the boy next to him said while blushing. “Um… hi? You seem cold.”

“H-Hey. I-” He was at a complete loss for words. God, this guy looked cute. “Uh…”

“Hey look everyone, these dudes are having a gay panic,” said a familiar voice from behind.

Shiro looked behind, seeing Keith, his cousin, smirking at the two of them. Adam grunted, clearly frustrated.

“Keith!” Shiro snapped in response.

“It’s cool, bro. I’m gay too. This school is full of gay people. Embrace the homo.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” said the guy next to Keith as he pointed to Shiro with his jaw hanging down. “You’re the one who brought your cat to school yesterday. I saw it on Snap.”

“Says the dude who streaked down the football field for a hundred dollars,” a person on the other side of the room said in response. “Was it worth it, Lance?”

“Hey, that _was_ worth it! I got the money.”

“Well, I got money by hacking into the gradebook for others, and look where that’s got me.” The person turned to Shiro. “I’m Pidge.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Shiro. I’m Allura,” said the girl next to him. Allura had dark, long, flowing hair. She was absolutely beautiful. “This system sucks. I was only trying to separate a fight. I didn’t mean to get framed. Where’s the justice system? Our rights are being violated here.”

“Man, that sucks,” said Shiro. He honestly felt bad for her. As she pointed out, this system was extremely flawed.

“It’s cool, I guess. Even though my father is also my principal, he was disappointed that I didn’t call for a teacher’s help instead, so he sent me here for twenty days.”

“Big L moment,” said Keith as he slouched in his seat. “You all know why I’m here. I punched Iverson in the face and now he has a lazy eye because of it. Sanda gave me 180 days.”

“You’re one to talk about Sanda,” said Adam. “She refused to let me graduate early even though I met all the requirements, so I called her a bitch. Seemed like a fair trade to me until she put me here.”

“Woah…” Once again, Shiro was mesmerized. He loved confident boys. “That is so badass.”

“I knew some of them were about to be real mad at me, but I knew it must be said.” Adam sighed, pausing for a moment. “The quiet dude in the back is Sendak. He got into a fight with this kid named Lotor. Both of them go to Galra High.”

Shiro looked over, and Sendak hissed, looking him dead in the eye. It seemed like he was not a force to be reckoned with.

“The guy next to me is Hunk,” Adam continued, gesturing over. This guy—Hunk—seemed pretty sweet and innocent. What could he have done to be here?

“Oh, hi. Since we’re all saying why we’re here, I made brownies and brought them to school…”

Everyone stared at him in silence. _How did he end up here for making brownies?_

“... _pot_ brownies…”

_Welp, there it was_.

“Hey Shiro, can you give me your number? I have a binder where I can put it. Just hurry.”

Adam slid his binder over, and Shiro wrote his number just in time.

“Mrs. Hira is back, everyone,” Lance groaned.

“Y’all better multitask or I’m gettin’ binders,” she said in the most southern accent Shiro had ever heard. “Lance! Tuck in that shirt.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded, doing as she said. Keith and Pidge snorted, causing them to be met with cruel glances in response.

“Mr. Wimbleton, did you play the cringey song of the day yet?” Mrs. Hira asked.

_Wait, what?_ Shiro thought.

“Why, no! Shiro, you’re in for a treat.”

Mr. Wimbleton pulled up what was probably the worst music video ever made. The visuals felt like Shiro was on LSD, and the shrill vocals gave him a headache. He had no idea what would be worse: a dead silent classroom where you aren’t allowed to do a thing or watching videos like this everyday.

“Hey, Mrs. Hira, it’s your favorite song,” Adam teased.

“Oh god…” The poor woman slammed her head on her desk.

“So, Shiro, did you imagine your first day going like this?” Adam asked.

Well, this definitely was unexpected. He never would have imagined that in his wildest dreams.

“Not at all,” he said, chuckling afterwards. “Not at all.”


	18. Teachers/Babysitters AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro surprises Adam with a cake in celebration of a successful semester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter breifly mentions a previous drug addiction as well as dissociation/depersonalization.
> 
> This is based on my fic This Is All Yours. I don’t think there’s anything major about that fic that requires explaining, but if you have any questions then please ask me in the comments.

“Before the semester ends, I wanted to say how much I enjoyed teaching this class,” said Adam as he spoke in front of his students. “All of you helped me ease back into teaching, and that really meant a lot to me. You guys have made the transition much more bearable.”

Half of the students in the room gushed, dialogue jumbled with one another. Adam picked up one student’s words. “Awe, Mr. Wright!” Seeing everyone like this made him feel warm inside, like a perfectly toasted marshmallow.

“In two days, I’ll be up in space. Once I get back, I’m sure I’ll have lots of new stories to tell, so feel free to stop by my class once this mission is over.”

“Sir, will you tell us more about your time in Galra captivity in we stop in?”

Adam’s face froze in an expression that said, _end me now_. He didn’t feel comfortable sharing most of the aspects of his capture, and he already said everything he was okay with mentioning. He knew he had to lie in order to get these kids off his back.

“Oh, uh… I already told you guys pretty much all of it. It was mostly just fighting gladiators and signing autographs and stuff; nothing much.”

Based on the way the students’ faces lowered, he knew they were disappointed by his response. As guilty as he felt, he knew he couldn’t share the full truth.

The bell rang, and the students milled out.

“Bye everyone! Have a good winter break, and good luck on your new classes,” he said before they left. Once the last student was gone, he shut the door to his classroom, sitting at his desk.

It was not long before the door swung back open, and Shiro entered, cake and soda bottles in-hand. He was clearly struggling to carry it all.

“Takashi?”

“You made it through an entire semester of teaching! Congratulations. I knew everything would work out fine.”

“Mmm, are you sure? You were having another depersonalization episode on my first day teaching again. I’m sure you were more worried about yourself then.”

“I wasn’t worried at all, to be honest. I knew it was temporary, not to mention that I was completely emotionless, so it’s not like I was afraid of anything for most of that week.”

“Good point.” Adam’s eyes darted to the cake in Shiro’s hands. “A cake? It’s not like it’s my birthday or anything. That’s still two months away.”

“It’s an ice cream cake, and it’s the least I could do. You seemed so stressed about teaching at times. I know how much your dissociation impacted your life. You even wanted to quit your job because of it, but I knew you could do it, and you made it. I’m so proud of you.”

Shiro’s sappy monologue was the most touching thing Adam heard in a long time. He was so glad to have such a supportive boyfriend who helped him overcome life’s obstacles. Adam wiped a tear from his eye, sniffling.

“I brought forks and spoons,” said Shiro, laying the cake and utensils on the table. Next, he put down the two bottles he carried. “I also brought some soda. Maybe we can sit here and eat?”

Adam smiled, putting out a fork and spoon from the bag of utensils. As of now, he wanted nothing more than to make the most of their time left on Earth.

“Sounds good.” Adam got up, shutting the door.

Shiro sat in the “tutoring seat” by Adam’s desk, and the two ate their cake, drinking from their sodas every now and then.

“This is so good. Thank you for getting all this, Takashi. I really appreciate it.”

“Ah, it was nothing. I had to get something for the best teacher in the world.” A very long, warm pause. Then, “So, how did your students react today?”

Adam thought for a minute, processing everything. “Well, I thanked them for easing my teaching experience, and half of the class gushed. That’s a good thing right? I’m also expecting a lot of them to stop by my classroom when we get back. They probably want to hear about our adventures in space.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, but they also want to know more about my time in Galra captivity, and to be honest, I don’t want to tell-” He paused, realizing that his students weren’t the only people Adam hid his story from. There were still many parts he wasn’t okay with telling Shiro about, or anyone for that matter. “Er, I already told them everything.”

Shiro shot Adam an apprehensive glance, taking another sip of his soda. “I mean you were there for three years, after all. I know it was repetitive—and that some parts were even traumatic—but it’s understandable why they think you’re keeping stuff from them.”

“Well, what was I supposed to tell them? That I was a drug addict?” Adam slammed the table, jolting from his seat a bit.

Cold, dead silence followed, and Adam realized how much he acted out.

Shiro cleared his throat. “What wasn’t what I meant.”

“Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry I lashed out at you like that. I don’t know why, but I’ve felt extremely tense this week. Maybe I’m afraid of space? I was imprisoned there, so it makes sense.” He leaned forward over the table, rubbing his forehead. “God, I don’t know…”

“You’re talking to the right person about that. I was imprisoned in space also, just like you. Once I left, I kept thinking of my experiences there, and I would freeze up every single time. I was hell, Adam. I had more of a reason to be afraid of space than all the paladins combined—and even though it was hard—I worked through it. I can help you.”

Shiro reached for Adam’s hand, collapsing it in his own. Adam knew Shiro could help with his fear, but he didn’t want to talk about it right now. He just wanted to eat this cake and discuss peaceful topics.

“I know you can, and I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Just try to keep in mind that I might seem more irritable than usual.”

“I definitely will.” Shiro took another bite from his slice of cake. “Now, are you ready for our final Atlas training session tonight? Sam and I made an exam for you over the controls of a jet for when you’re ready.”

This made Adam think of something, and he dreaded the thought. He’d rather do almost anything than _that_.

“But when will I pilot my jet? We’re not gonna have any time on Earth to do that.

A pause. Shiro sighed, collapsing his hands together. “We’ll think of that when the time comes.”

Though the unknown terrified Adam, he knew there was no point in worrying about it. All he wanted to focus on for the time being was making the most of the time left on Earth.

Because he knew there was a chance they could never return.


	19. Parents/Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam wants to plan a ridiculously long road trip with Shiro and Keith in an attempt to make memories.

“Keith, you need to start packing your bags soon, because we’re going to visit my family in a few days,” said Adam as he entered the kitchen. He felt bad for the last minute notification, but it was better late than never.

“Okay, I guess? Uh…” Keith shifted in his seat, clearly disappointed. He always did this whenever he was upset. “When are we flying out to Boston?”

“Yeah, about that…” Adam was saving the best part for last. “The three of us are going on a road trip!”

“Wait, what?! You’re telling me that we’re gonna drive from Arizona to Massachusetts? Do you realize how long that would take?”

“Well, yeah. The whole point of this is to be part of a wholesome experience, and what better opportunity than traveling across America?”

Keith typed something in his phone. “That’s at least 2500 miles! Are you kidding? How long will that be?”

“Around five days or so.”

Keith groaned, rubbing his head. “God, take me now.” He dramatically slammed his face into his cereal bowl, sending splatters of milk on the table.

Shiro passed by while carrying a handful of laundry. “Quit complaining, Keith. It’ll be fun.”

“Can I at least bring a friend so I forget about our slow descent into the void?”

“Wait, what?” Adam rarely understood Keith’s nonsense sometimes.

“It’s nothing. I bet  _ you _ wouldn’t understand. Adults don’t understand anything.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Are you sure this isn’t a phase? And who did you want to bring?”

“It’s not a phase, Adam. It’s a lifestyle. And I wanted to bring Lance.”

Adam froze, thinking over this for a moment. He really wanted this experience to be just the three of them, but he assumed a fourth person could enrich the experience. Reluctantly, he sighed. “Yes.”

“Thanks.” Keith got up, putting his unfinished bowl in the sink. “Well, I gotta pack. I’ll call Lance tonight. How long will this trip be, again?”

“Around two weeks in total.”

“Got it.”

Keith left the kitchen and went up the stairs. Adam looked at the bowl in the sink, noticing how much cereal was left in it.

“Keith, why did you-?”

The slam of a door from upstairs. Adam gave up, sighing again, pulling out his phone and texting his parents. It would certainly be difficult for Keith to look on the bright side of things, but Adam didn’t give up yet. This road trip was the one opportunity to change things.

What could go wrong?


	20. Matt/Original Garrison Trio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt crashes Shiro and Adam’s date night.

There was nothing Shiro enjoyed more than watching Netflix on Friday nights with Adam.

The two cuddled on the couch, watching a classic show they grew up with. Adam snuggled up onto Shiro’s shoulder, pulling their shared blanket tightly around their bodies. Just as they were about to lean in for a kiss, chaos erupted.

A kazoo sounded from behind, playing off-key notes from “Careless Whisper”.

This startled Adam, and he jolted up, looking around the room. “Wait, who was that?”

Shiro didn’t even need to look. He automatically knew who it was.

“Matt!” he yelled, stretching the word for a mile.

Just as expected, Matt peaked up from under the couch, kazoo in hand.

Adam sighed, facepalming himself. “Matt, are you kidding?”

Matt broke out in laugher, falling to the floor, rolling. “You should’ve seen the look on your faces! It was priceless. You just got cockblocked!”

“Matt, really? I give you the keys to our place, told you to come anytime you wanted, and this is how you abuse your power?”

“Come on, Shiro. You have no sense of humor. Can I third-wheel?”

“Uh…”

He looked at Adam, who shrugged in response. Shiro decided to accept the offer. He wanted to get to know Matt before going off into space, after all.

“Fine. You can stay.”

“Yes!”

Adam rewinded the episode and walked into the kitchen, bringing out some snacks. For a couple hours, the three of them watched the show together, munching on food. Finally it was getting late and Sam texted Matt telling him to come home.

“Thanks for letting me chill with you guys. It was fun!” He turned to Adam. “It was also nice to finally see you again, Mr. Wright.”

Adam snorted, playfully rolling his eyes and grinning. “You too.”

Matt left, getting in his car and driving away. Adam started laughing for some reason, and Shiro wasn’t sure why.

“What?” he asked.

“You and that kid.”


	21. Videogame/Gamer AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Life is Strange Adashi AU all of us have been waiting for... Or me at least.

The first thing Adam noticed when he woke up were his drenched clothing clinging to his body. He also noticed that he was lying down on the dirt ground.

Thunder rang out across the sky.

Adam sat upward, still in a daze. He immediately asked himself questions.  _ Where am I? What’s happening? _

Rain poured all around him, surrounding the cliffside.

_ I’m trapped in a storm? How did I get here? ...and where is “here”? _

He noticed he lighthouse of Arcadia Bay in the distance.

_ Wait… There’s the lighthouse… I’ll be safe if I can make it there… I hope… Please let me make it there… _

He trudged through the ferocious winds, holding his arm in front of him. One step at a time, he followed the path to the lighthouse. He reached an area with a bench which overlooked the ocean.

In front of him was a massive tornado.

“Holt shit.”

A boat knocked into the lighthouse, splitting the structure in half. The top of the building fell towards Adam, and he had nowhere to run.

-

“Woah!”

Adam woke up in Mr. Sendak’s photography class. Everything seemed normal, yet so surreal at the same time. He didn’t remember falling asleep, and that didn’t feel like a dream.

It felt like he was actually there.

Mr. Sendak continued to ramble on. Hunk dropped his pen on the floor, picking it back up. Ezor threw a crumpled up piece of paper at James’ head. Acxa’s phone rang, vibrating on the table.

Adam looked at a photograph of himself that he took, peeking out from his journal.  _ How can I show Mr. Sendak this crap? _

Adam caught sight of his Polaroid camera, and it gave him the urge to take a selfie. He grabbed it, aimed it at his face and snapped it off.

“Shh, I believe Adam has taken what you kids call a “selfie”... A dumb word for a wonderful photographic tradition. And Adam… has a gift. Of course, as you know, the photo portrait has been popular since the early 1800s. Your generation was not the first to use images for selfie-expression.” Mr. Sendak looked towards Adam. “Sorry. I couldn't resist.”

Mr. Sendak continued on, which bored Adam to death. He loathed lectures without visuals. They were extremely hard to follow up on.

“Now Adam, since you’ve captured our interest and clearly want to join the conversation, can you please tell us the name of the process that gave birth to the first self-portraits?”

_ Fuck. _

“You’re asking me? Let me think… Um…”

“You either know this or not, Adam. Is there anybody here who knows their stuff?”

Acxa gladly answered Mr. Sendak’s question, rather boastful about it. She turned to Adam. “Now you’re totally stuck in the Retro Zone. Sad face.”

_ What a smartass bitch. She’s such as asshole, _ Adam thought.

“Very good, Acxa.” Mr. Sendak added more to Acxa’s answer, but Adam couldn’t understand any of it. He seemed rather spaced out today.

The bell rang, and everyone stood up, leaving the room.

“And guys, don’t forget about the deadline to submit a photo in the “Everyday Heros” contest. I’ll fly the winner to San Francisco where you’ll be feted by the art world. It’s great exposure and it can kickstart a career in photography. So Hunk and Alyssa, get it together. Ezor, don’t hide, I’m still waiting for your entry too.” He looked towards Adam again. “And yes Adam, I see you pretending not to see me.”

He noticed James sitting by the window. He seemed rather different today, so sad and quiet, and Adam wanted to check on him.

“Hi, James.”

“Oh, hi Adam.”

“You seem quiet today.”

“Just thinking too much…”

He seemed incredibly depressed. Adam figured he should try to cheer him up.

“I hear that. Want to go grab some coffee and bitch about life?”

“Thanks, but not today. I have to go over homework.”

“No worries. Let’s hang later.”

“Sure,” said James as he continued to go back to what he was doing.

As much as Adam didn’t want to, he approached Mr. Sendak. Acxa was leaning over the table, clearly flirting. She obviously had a thing for Sendak. Meanwhile, Adam couldn’t talk to him without getting shy and nervous.

“Excuse me, Mr. Sendak, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Yes, excuse you.” Acxa remarked.

“No, Acxa. Excuse us. I’d never let one of photography’s future stars avoid handing in his picture.”

“Do I have to? I just don’t think it’s that big a deal.”

“Adam, you’re a better photographer than a liar… Now, I know it’s a drag to hear some old dude lecture you… but life won’t wait for you to play catch-up. You’re young, the world is yours, blah blah blah, right? But you do have a gift, you have the fever to take images, to frame the world only the way you envision it. Now, all you need is the courage to share your gift with others. That’s what separates the artist from the amateur.”

Mr. Sendak returned to his conversation with Victoria, and Adam left the room.

Once he stepped into the hallway, he put headphones in and played some chill music. He honestly felt like he was gonna have a breakdown, and he figured the boys’ bathroom would be no better place to have one.

He walked through the halls, taking note of the students gathered by the lockers. He also noticed a multitude of “missing person” posters for a guy named Curtis. Whoever he was, he’d been missing for months.

Adam finally made it to the bathroom, washing his face. He pulled that selfie from a while ago out of his journal.

_ Fuck it. _

He shredded the photo, but as the pieces fell to the ground, an electric blue butterfly flew in and landed on a bucket. He knew he had to get a photo of this.

Just as he took the photo, the door opened. Peeking from the side, he noticed the person who entered was Lotor, the richest kid in Arcadia Bay. Lotor checked the stalls, then looked at himself if the mirror, leaning over a sink.

“It’s cool, Lotor… Don’t stress… You’re okay, bro. Just count to three… Don’t be scared… You own this school… If I wanted, I could blow it up… You’re the Boss…”

The way he said this almost sounded like he was panicking. Adam knew Lotor was rather strange, but this was on another level.

The door opened again, and this time, a rather tall boy with black hair entered. He was incredibly muscular, emphasized by his white tank top with a skull on it.

“So what do you want?” Lotor asked without turning around.

“I hoped you checked the perimeter, as my step-ass would say. Now, let’s talk bidness—”

“I got nothing for you.”

“Wrong. You got hella cash.”

“That’s my family, not me.”

“Oh boo hoo, poor little rich kid. I know you’ve been pumpin’ drugs n’ shit to kids around here… I bet your respectable family would help me out if I went to them.” The boy got close to Lotor’s face. “Man, I can see the headlines now—”

“Leave them out of this, fucker.”

“I can tell everybody Lotor Daibazaal is a punk ass who begs like a little girl and talks to himself—”

Lotor pulled out a gun, aiming it at the kid, and Adam’s heart pounded.

“You don’t know who the fuck I am or who you’re messing around with!”

The boy looked around, clearly freaking out. “Where’d you get that? What are you doing? Come on, put that thing down!”

“Don't  _ ever _ tell me what to do. I’m so  _ sick _ of people trying to control me!”

“You are going to get in a hella more trouble for this than drugs—”

“Nobody would even miss your “punk ass”, would they?”

“Get that gun away from me, psycho!”

_ Bang. _

“No!”

Adam held out his hand as the boy fell to the floor, crimson pooling from his abdomen. The gun dropped to the floor, clinging against the tile.

Everything seemed to reverse, sending Adam back.

-

“Woah! What the fuck?”

Adam was now back in Mr. Sendak’s class, listening to the same lecture. Hunk picked his pen up from the floor. Ezor threw that paper ball at James’ head. Acxa’s phone rang… All of this just like before.

Adam accidentally knocked his camera on the floor, and it broke into pieces.

“Shit.”

He processed everything that happened. He held his hand out, then he was back there…

Could he reverse time?

He held out his hand again, and the camera was back on the table in one piece.

If this was true, maybe there was still time.

He could save that boy.


	22. Pets/Pokemon AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Adam meet each other while taking their pets for a walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Breif mention of car crash, injury, and chronic pain

As usual, Adam walked his two dogs around the local park. This was his favorite part of the morning. He was able to get some fresh air, spending time with the best companions he could ask for.

He was used to his dogs leading him around, so he didn’t question when they trailed off, almost running. He gripped onto the handle of the leashes extra tightly.

The dogs finally stopped when they reached a black cat on a leash. The sight was definitely unusual. Adam had never seen a cat at this park before.

A small beagle ran up to beside the cat, and based on the direction of their leashes, they seemed to be connected to the same source. Adam looked up to see a muscular and tall young man in a tank top. The man sported an undercut—which Adam wasn’t too crazy about—but there was something about this person’s eyes that seemed almost mesmerizing.

Adam trailed off, zoning out for a second. “Woah… Um-”

“Let me guess. You’ve never seen a cat on a leash before?”

“No, I-” What else was Adam supposed to say? That he’d gotten lost in his eyes? “Yes, actually. It’s quite strange but it’s really adorable.”

“I get that a lot.” The man chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I’m Shiro, by the way. And you?”

“Adam.” He looked down at his two dogs. “The husky is Simon, and the golden retriever is Legs.”

“Legs?”

The reason behind his dog’s name was rather personal to him. Two years ago, he got involved in a car crash. The impact broke both of his legs, and he spent a good six months in recovery. Since he adopted Legs around this time, he thought the name was appropriate.

“Unusual, I know. It’s a complicated story.”

“It’s definitely interesting, that’s for sure.” Shiro looked down at his dog and cat. He kneeled down towards his Beagle, who licked his face in response. “This little guy right here is Sparky.”

“Awe, what a cute little guy.”

“And this right here is Black. He’s pretty aloof and does whatever he wants, but he’s truly something special.”

“Clearly.”

There was so much Adam wanted to tell Shiro. He definitely didn’t want to leave without asking for his number. You don’t meet guys like this everyday, after all.

“Can I get your number? I’d love to hang out with you sometime, if that’s okay with you.”

“I’d love to!”

Ecstatic, Adam opened his contacts and gave Shiro his phone.

“Feel free to text me anytime you’d like,” Shiro said as he handed back the phone.

“Sounds good.”

Shortly after he said this, a deep pain struck Adam’s leg. He winced, nearly falling over. It hurt like hell to stand, and he wanted to sit down, but he didn’t want to seem weird in front of Shiro.

“Adam, are you okay?”

All three of their dogs rushed over to Adam, clearly concerned. Black gave off a concerned meow.

Adam clenched his teeth, hoping the pain would subside. Eventually it faded away, but Adam knew it wouldn’t be long before it would come back. He knew he had to take some pain medicine and fast.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? I can take you to a clinic if you need.”

“No no no, I’m okay. This happens sometimes.”

“Oh, uh…” Shiro looked around the area, then back at Adam. “I’m gonna get going now, if you’re sure you’re okay. It was nice meeting you.”

“You too.”

Shiro walked off with Sparky and Black, and Adam sought after a bench nearby. He grabbed his medicine bottle, poured out a dose in his hand, and swallowed it with water. After that, he left with his two dogs.

His mind couldn’t help but think back to Shiro. Adam had never met a guy as kind as him. It was rather nice for a change.


	23. Modern AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam gets stuck in the rain, but meets a kind man amongst it all.

Adam hadn’t prepared for the rain before he went to the coffee shop. The sky’s tears pounded hard against the awning, creating a noisy ruckus. Adam normally loved rain… Except for when he was trapped somewhere because of it. He cursed himself for not bringing an umbrella.

He sat underneath the steps, hoping the sky would clear, but the rain continued to pour. He was lucky he didn’t have any classes today, but it still sucked being out in the rain, especially since his phone was dead.

The coffeeshop door opened, and a man walked out, opening a black umbrella. Adam immediately recognized him. This man was always there nearly every day. He would always chill out with headphones on, studying and listening to music. Adam never dared himself to actually talk to him.

So here they were, closer than they’d ever been.

“The rain is pounding, isn’t it?” the man asked.

“Yeah, it is.”

The man joined Adam on the steps, tucking his umbrella aside. For a while, they sat in silence, looking off in the distance.

“I see you here a lot,” said Adam. “What’s your name?”

“Shiro. I'm majoring in astrophysics, and this place is really close by to my main building, so I usually come here to study and stuff. You?”

“Astrophysics… wow, that’s really cool. I’m Adam, and I major in aviation.” Now that Adam thought about it, astrophysics seemed so cool. He still preferred aviation, but he wanted to know why Shiro chose his major.

“Interesting.”

Shiro stood up, still grasping his umbrella. He looked back at Adam, who stared blankly at the pattering raindrops against the pavement. Shiro raised the umbrella over Adam’s head, squatting so the handle was in reach for the both of them.

Adam was confused at first, but he realized what Shiro was trying to do.

He was offering Adam the umbrella.

“No, I can’t. Don’t you need this?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll live.”

Adam delicately accepted the umbrella, hesitating for a moment. A gust of wind flew by, nearly knocking it out of his hand. Shiro laughed in response, nearly toppling over. Seeing Shiro laugh like this filled Adam with joy. He loved seeing others feeling happy.

Shiro finally calmed down, wiping a tear from his eye. “Okay, well, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you.”

“You too.” Adam smiled as he bidded farewell.

Shiro took off, and shortly after, Adam left the comfort of the awning. The rain continued to pour on top of the umbrella, dripping off the ends of the fabric. He couldn’t help but notice how incredibly generous Shiro was. He knew he had to thank him the next time he saw him.

As Adam walked back to his dorm, he noticed Shiro enter a nearby bookstore.

_ Should I follow him? _


	24. Genderbend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Adam find themselves in an alternate reality, and they come face to face with their female counterparts.

__

“Okay guys, what do you miss most about Earth?” Shiro asked before taking a bite from his lunch. He wanted to ask the paladins mildly personal questions so they could bond with each other. So far it was working, and everyone seemed to be more comfortable around each other.

“Remember when we got drunk at the beach that one night? That was fun.” Adam nudged Shiro’s elbow, smirking at him with narrow eyes.

Shiro couldn’t help but reminisce over the delightful yet cursed memory. “How could I forget? I was hungover for a whole week.”

“Same here.”

“I was so angry and furious that day,” said Allura as she clasped her hands in front of her. “I have to admit, this made me question Adam’s ability as a member of Team Voltron, but so far I’ve seen many great qualities in him. Sure, he’s had quite the struggle in regaining his ability to pilot, but he never gave up. He kept fighting, and that’s one of the most honorable traits a lion considers in a pilot.”

“Wow… You really think I’m paladin-worthy?”

“I can’t imagine a need for a new pilot anytime soon, but yes. Even though you still haven’t been able to fly your jet, your motivation drives you to keep going. I know you’ll succeed one day. I believe in you.”

“It’s definitely been hard—and even discouraging sometimes—but I want to keep trying. Thank you, Allura. That really means a lot.”

Allura smiled in reassurance before continuing on. “We were talking about what we missed more about Earth, weren’t we? Even though I didn’t get to see much of it, I loved how different it seems from other planets. There’s so much culture, and a lot of the inhabitants are very friendly.”

“Some of them, anyways.” Hunk cleared his throat. “My favorite thing about Earth is the abundance of spices and-”

The ship trembled, and the alarm went off.

“What’s happening?” Adam asked, standing up.

Shiro slowly stood from his seat, angling his body toward the lion’s hangar. “I don’t know, but I’m guessing it’s another one of those space pirate attacks.” He expectantly turned to Allura. “You’re the new Captain of the Atlas now. You know what to do?”

“Yes. I’ll be on my way towards the bridge.”

“Excellent.”

Before Shiro could do anything, his body seemed to warp, and he blacked out for a few seconds.

-

When Shiro opened his eyes again, he was now in what seemed like the Garrison, only something seemed off. The uniforms of the cadets were maroon, and the instructor uniforms were black. This was definitely different.

“Woah, who are you?”

Shiro’s head whipped around, and he instantly noticed two women around his age standing in front of him. One of them had dark hair pinned into a bun, while the other had bottom-rimmed glasses and chestnut hair tied in a small side ponytail.

They looked familiar somehow…

“My name is Shiro, and I am the Paladin of the Black Lion.”

“My name is Shira,” the dark-haired woman spoke. She looked to the woman next to her. “This is my wife, Autumn.”

“Your name sounds kind of like mine,” said Shiro, referencing the same  _ Shira _ . He turned towards Autumn. “And your name sounds kind of like-”

“Takashi, what is going on here?”

Adam rushed out from a hallway, still dressed in his Atlas uniform. He instantly noticed the two women, and based on his expression, he was already jumping to conclusions.

“This is Shira and Autumn,” Shiro said while addressing each woman respectively.

“She-ra?” Adam crossed his arms, snarking. “Like that sword girl from that older cartoon reboot?”

“It’s  _ Shira _ , with an I,” the woman corrected.

“But seriously, both of you look pretty similar…” Adam thought for a moment, then gasped. “What if you guys are from an alternate reality where we exist as women?”

“Oh man, merging realities. That doesn’t sound good…” Autumn looked around at her surroundings. “Quick, we have to do something before-”

Time and space seemed to warp again, and within seconds, they were back in a new place.

-

This time, they were in a park of some sorts. This place likely wasn’t in America, though, since a Swedish flag flew in the distance.

A weak “Yoo hoo!” from behind.

The four of them turned around, seeing two familiar men. The first guy was in a wheelchair and had long hair, but his face felt like Shiro was looking in a mirror. He realized that this was a Scandinavian version of himself, though this man was clearly frail. Shiro knew that with time, this man would die.

The guy pushing the wheelchair heavily resembled Adam, though his hair was slightly different and he wore scrubs.

“Is this…” Adam trailed off.

“An alternate reality, yes,” said the man in the wheelchair. “My name is Sven, and we have no time to lose.”


	25. Musical/Theatre AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro spends his final moments with Adam.
> 
> Based on the play “The Shadow Box”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter deals with terminal illness and a major character death. PLEASE keep this in mind before reading.

“Mmm, Adam? Can you turn that light off?”

Adam turned from his mixing bowl and stepped into the bedroom, turning off the light. All that remained was sunlight beaming through the windows.

Shiro layed in bed, not moving an inch.

This started yesterday. Adam got up before him, made breakfast, and called Shiro to the cottage’s kitchen. No response. Adam went to check on him and Shiro complained that he physically couldn’t move his body. This was a strong indicator that Shiro was nearing his final days.

It pained Adam to see his lover like this: sick and weak and frail. Both of them could clearly see the progression of the disease as Shiro’s condition worsened over time. What started as a subtle detail became a life-threatening issue.

Adam still loved him regardless, and he wanted to stay by his side for as long as he could.

“Adam?”

“Yes, Takashi. I’m here.” He carefully sat on the edge of the bed, expectantly waiting.

Shiro couched, groaning afterwards. He then shut his eyes, tight, like he never wanted them to open again.

“Please… Leave.”

Adam’s heart dropped. How could he leave? Shiro needed him, and Adam would never leave him to die.

“What? Why?”

“Just do it… please.” Shiro gasped more with every breath. Even the seemingly simple task of speaking drained him, apparently.

“Slow down. Take your time.”

For a minute, Shiro regulated his breathing. Within moments, his hyperventilation turned into an almost alarming lack of breath.

“I don’t want you to see me like this. I have a bad feeling.”

Adam remained silent for a moment, processing everything. Shiro felt guilty for this despite this whole situation being out of his control, and it broke Adam’s heart. He knew he had to try to make things better.

“If I was worried about that, then I wouldn’t be here taking care of you. I knew what I was signing up for when I came to this cottage with you. We don’t have much time together, but all I want is for you to die happily. Please… I  _ want _ to stay.”

“Are you sure?”

Pause. “Yes, I am sure.”

Shiro tilted his head in the slightest, weakly smiling.

Adam intertwined his fingers with Shiro’s hand, leaning his head over his heart. It was slow… Adam had a feeling that Shiro wouldn’t live to see another day.

“Takashi, I’m here for you as you pass through this journey.”

Instead of remaining nearly unresponsive, Shiro continued to smile. But why? How could this possibly be a joyful moment for him?

“I’m glad I get to see your face one final time before I go.”

Adam placed his free hand over Shiro’s heart, gazing into his eyes, knowing this would be the last time he would ever see them up close.

“I love you, Takashi.”

Shiro deeply exhaled through his nose, and Adam took that as a chuckle. Within seconds, Shiro’s face froze over, though he still smiled.

His heartbeat was now nonexistent.

He was gone.

Adam was left with a lingering emptiness. The darkness felt like a deep black hole inside of him, draining any signs of positive emotion.

He contorted his face, refraining from sobs. His throat burned with a rock he couldn’t seem to swallow. His head nearly hurt from trying to keep it all in.

Adam couldn’t hold his emotions back any longer. He involuntarily hiccupped his shoulders shook up and down. The shaking spread to his whole body, and he lost control. Adam sobbed, tightening his grip on Shiro’s hand.

He hated this… He hated every bit of it.

But then he realized something. Shiro died with a smile on his face. He was relaxed, happy, and comfortable. He got to die peacefully.

Adam knew that if Shiro could see him at that exact moment, he wouldn’t want Adam to dwell over this. Accepting this horrible change would be the most difficult thing Adam would ever have to do, but he couldn’t live the rest of his life in misery.

He stepped out of the cabin, running to the nearest doctor.

Everything was different now.


	26. Orchestra AU/Sports AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One face in particular sticks out from the crowd to football player Shiro.

“Touchdown!” The sports announcer yelled as Shiro reached the end zone.

This was Shiro’s favorite part about football. Nothing could beat the adrenaline rush, the sudden halt of air as he entered the boundary, the roar of students and staff from the bleachers, and the rush of his teammates as they congratulated him.

But most of all, he got to see that one guy who was always there at nearly every game, taking photos with a sophisticated camera. Shiro assumed he was in yearbook.

Shiro also noticed that this guy was in orchestra. As Shiro walked to practice every morning before the start of school, he noticed the same guy walking into the school with a violin case.

There was something about him that was electrifying. Shiro didn’t know if it was his spirit, or his mysterious appearance, or his quiet personality, or his smile that shined brighter than the stadium lights, or maybe his bottom-rimmed glasses. Whichever the case, this guy always stood out to Shiro.

Shiro continued on with his game. Perhaps he could find a chance to talk to him sometime.

Someday.


	27. Popstar AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After winning backstage passes, Shiro meets Adam W., his favorite pop singer.
> 
> Aka Shiro lives y/n’s life.

Shiro couldn’t believe what just happened as he exited the waiting room. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand. It contained an address, a date, and a time.

He was lucky enough to win backstage passes to meet his favorite popstar, Adam W., before his concert. Shiro nearly fainted as the radio announcer told him the good news. He knew he wouldn’t forget the feeling in his stomach when he was told, “Congratulations. You have just won a backstage pass to meet Adam W.!”

The entire conversation of Adam felt like time froze on standstill. Shiro could have sworn that he stuttered a lot. He couldn’t even stop fidgeting with the backstage pass around his lanyard. As awkward as it felt for Shiro, it was electrifying at the same time.

And Adam asked him out on a date.

It’s unbelievable for your favorite celebrity to set up a fancy and sophisticated date for you. This is the plot of millions of cheeze Wattpad novels and the dream of young girls around the world.

This fantasy came true for Shiro, and he couldn’t believe it.

A venue employee escorted Shiro to his VIP seat, where his brother, Keith, waited for him.

The employee left, and Keith looked at Shiro in anticipation.

“How did it go?”

Shiro tried to wipe the grin off his face, but it was no use. He just stood there, smiling more than he had in a very long time.


	28. Singer/Dancers/Actors AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After filming a traumatic scene, Shiro has questions about his future with Adam.
> 
> An AU where Shiro and Adam are actors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Blood and injury, death, swearing
> 
> Cast:  
> Ren - Takashi Shirogane  
> Andre - Adam Wright

“Oh, no.” Ren dropped is AR-15, rushing over to his lover. “No, no, no, no, no. You can’t die on me yet. You can’t. Andre, _please_.”

Andre coughed, clutching his bullet wound. Crimson spilled from the area, streaming down his stomach. There was no way he would survive, and it was clear that both of them knew that.

“Ren… keep running. I don’t want you to go down with me.”

Ren started tearing up, yet his expression was that of disbelief, shook to the core. “What? No, I love you. I can’t just leave you behind.”

“There’s no time.” Andre’s voice trembled as he said this, and his breathing became heavy and strained after the sentence. “Fight them, or run for your life.”

Ren glanced at his rifle in the distance, completely abandoned. Chaos would surely endure if someone picked it up. He knew what he had to do.

“I’ll fight. For you…”

Andre weaky smiled. He used the last of his energy to caress Ren’s cheek and lean in for a kiss.

Then, he was gone.

“Andre? Andre, please respond.”

Nothing.

“No…”

Ren couldn’t even process all of this. One minute Andre was here, and the next, he was gone.

A gust of wind flew by, and Ren looked towards the night sky, tears streaking down his face.

-

“That’s a wrap!” said Coran as he sat in the director’s chair. Based on his expression, he seemed rather pleased.

“I’m a bad bitch. You can’t kill me!” Adam stood from his position, trying not to spill fake blood anywhere other than where necessary.

“Oh, but I can!” Coran chuckled, almost falling over. He never failed to bring joy to a set. “Any complaints shall be filed with our screenwriters.”

Shiro wiped the tears from his cheeks, walking up to Adam. “Your performance was outstanding.”

“What, mine? No way. Yours was a lot better than mine. Way more emotion.”

Shiro thought for a moment. He thought his performance was a little too dramatic compared to Adam’s, which was just right. “Nah.”

“Nah.”

The two broke out in laughter, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Oh, um… I’ll leave you two be.” Coran humbly exited the room.

Now, it was just the two of them.

Shiro unhooked his arm around Adam’s shoulders, making eye contact with Adam. That scene felt so real to him. It was almost haunting.

“Hey, Adam?”

“Yeah?”

“When we were doing that scene, I felt so sad and on edge. As much as I wanted to convince myself it wasn’t real, I couldn’t, since my acting would suffer because of it. Coran would make us do it again.”

“Takashi, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. That got me thinking. What if one day, everything is normal, and then all of a sudden, it’s not? I don’t want you to die. There’s so many unknown factors, and I-”

“Breathe, Takashi.”

Shiro slowed himself for a bit, inhaling for a while, then exhaling. This alleviated some of Shiro’s anxiety, though not all of it.

“It’s not worth it to dwell over things that might not even happen. Right now, we’re in the present. Time will tell in its own, but as for now, there’s no point in stressing over it.”

“I can’t help it, but I’ll try.” Shiro knew it was pointless to jump to conclusions, but he did it anyway, and he couldn’t help but feel angry at himself for it.

“How about we change out of our costumes and go out for ice cream? We need a break from all this.”

“That sounds nice.”

Adam planted a kiss on Shiro’s forehead, grasping his hand. “Now, let’s go change.”


	29. Movie AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam is dared to kiss a random stranger.
> 
> Based on the movie Nerve

“Kiss a stranger for five seconds?”

Adam stared at his phone in disbelief. Just an hour ago, he was tired of living in his popular friend Allura’s shadow.

So he decided to play a game called Nerve, where each player is given dares and earns money for each dare completed.

And this was Adam’s first dare. He had to kiss a random stranger at Colonnade Diner. Wasn’t this a bit much?

“Adam, you’ll get $100,” said Matt.

“Okay, okay.”

Adam swiped the option to “accept”, and the two began walking through the isles of the diner, scanning to find someone. The way the neon lights illuminated everyone set the mood. The colors energized Adam to his core, which didn’t help calm his anxiety.

“You’re just gonna kiss a random person?” Matt asked.

An old man turned to look, and Adam immediately cringed at the thought of kissing him. He continued walking.

A reminder to hurry up displayed on Adam’s phone.

They walked into a different section of the diner, immediately catching sight of a man in his 40s, drinking a beer.

“Just kiss that guy.”

Adam clicked his tongue, wanting to avoid this but eventually giving in.

“Okay. I’m gonna kiss that guy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Gonna do it.”

The man stood up, revealing another guy whose face was hidden behind a book.

“Or that guy,” Adam suggested. “He reads.”

“Well, make a choice. Clock’s ticking.”

“I’m kissing that guy.” He turned to Matt. “Okay, you sit here. Tell me when you’re rolling, ‘kay?”

‘“Kay, it’s Mission Impossible now?”

Adam gave Matt a cruel glance.  _ Seriously? _

“Just go,” said Matt.

Adam took a deep breath, approaching the guy. His heart pounded in his chest. He’d never done anything like this before. Just the thought of kissing someone he didn’t know—or kissing in general—made him anxious. What if this guy wasn’t into men, or what if he got angry and beat Adam up? He couldn’t stop thinking of every single bad thing that could happen.

He noticed the book he was reading.

“To the lighthouse, that’s my favorite book.”

The guy lowered the book, revealing his face. He had gray eyes and dark, fluffy hair. Adam could’ve sworn he was one of the most attractive guys he’d ever seen, aside from his crush.

Unfortunately, his crush rejected him, which lead Adam into this situation.

“Really?” The man’s smile was enough to light up the diner.

Matt gestured for them to hurry up.

“Please, tell me they get to the lighthouse in the end.”

“Um…” Adam didn’t want to spoil it, since this guy would likely be confused by the answer.

“Actually, don’t tell me.” He looked up at the ceiling, clearly in thought. “Uh… Okay. Just tell me real quick.”

“Yeah, they do, but that’s… That’s not really what it’s about. The lighthouse means something different to each of the characters. It basically represents the thing they want most in life.” Adam caught himself rambling. “And I’m sorry that I’m geeking out and ruining the story.”

“No, I was the one who asked.”

Matt gave another signal to hurry.

“Uh…”

Adam knew he had to do it, he slid into the booth, kissing this guy on the lips. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach, swarming around faster and more ferocious than ever.

He didn’t even bother counting to five. He was pretty sure he kissed longer than that.

“Done,” said Matt.

Adam pulled away, smiling.

“I can’t believe I just did that.”


	30. Disney AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith tells Adam some unfortunate news.
> 
> Based on Big Hero 6.

Adam waited for hours for Shiro and Keith to return.

That evening, Adam did his best to feed and entertain Shiro’s friends from university: Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and Lance. Though Adam tried his best to remain calm, he couldn’t help but worry about Shiro and Keith. The gathering seemed incomplete. They were here celebrating because of Keith’s successful pitch of his Microbots, after all.

Now, Adam washed the dishes in the kitchen café, the faint sound of the radio keeping him company. The time was now 10:17 pm, and his worry only began to grow. He’d texted Shiro earlier, but no response. He figured he should text Keith.

Just as he dried his hands, he heard the sound of the front door opening. Then sniffling.

Adam lift the kitchen, seeing Keith with red eyes and puffy cheeks, standing alone.

Without Shiro.

“Keith, what’s-?”

Keith buried his head in Adam’s chest, hugging him tightly. His shoulders shook and his breath hitched. Adam could feel his shirt getting soaked with Keith’s tears.

Adam didn’t know why Keith was upset. He almost never cried. It hurt to see him like this, and especially not knowing the reason behind his emotions.

“What… What happened?”

_Sniffle_. “Shiro… He’s g-gone.”

Adam’s eyes widened in disbelief. This had to have been a rumor. “What? No, there’s no way.”

“The expo building caught on fire, Shiro went back in to save his professor, there was… there was an explosion, and he-”

“Didn’t make it out?”

“Y-Yeah…” He rubbed his eyes, sniffling again.

Adam lost contact with reality. He didn’t know where he was, but it was nothing but darkness and _scribbles_. He couldn’t even formulate a coherent thought, and he hated not having control over anything. He didn’t have control over Shiro dying.

Or did he?

If he hadn’t let him and Keith chat on their own, none of this would’ve happened. Shiro would still be alive. Everyone would be alive and happy, and nothing bad would happen. He couldn’t forgive himself for that; not in a million years.

“No…” Adam covered his mouth with his hand. Keith’s figure became blurry through the tears, and after only a few seconds, Adam couldn’t see anything.

Just blurriness.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” Adam continued. “I was gonna propose to him after he graduated. We had everything planned out, and now he’s not here. It’s all over.”

Adam realized how his outlook on the situation might negatively affect Keith. He figured that he should look on the positive side of things, but what positive things were there about this situation? How can there possibly be anything good about the love of your life passing away?

“Hey, Keith?” He spoke in a small voice.

Keith tilted his head up. “Yeah?”

“Look, I know this situation is bad, but we have to look on the light side of things. Takashi wouldn’t want you to get hung up over him. He would want you to pursue your dreams and do what he couldn’t.”

Keith scoffed, shoving Adam and pulling away from the hug. “The _light_ side? There’s nothing good about this. Shiro’s _gone_ , and there’s nothing you or anyone can do about that.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to-”

Keith stormed off, trudging up the stairs, then slamming a door.

Adam slumped onto one of the seats in the cafe, empty inside. There was a deep, soul-sucking pit inside of him that couldn’t be filled, now that Shiro was gone. The light in Adam’s life had gone out, and the sun itself couldn’t reignite it.

He had no idea what to do.


	31. Crossover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam arrives in the exciting town of San Junipero, though he begins to wonder if the area is too fast-paced for him.
> 
> Based on the Black Mirror episode San Junipero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> San Junipero Adashi AU? You bet! I’ve been saving this idea since September 2018, baby.

The year was 1987.

Adam strolled down the streets of San Junipero, a town where people partied until sunrise. This was a popular spot for outgoing people who loved to meet others and drink until they reached their limit.

All of this made Adam question why he was there. He was anything but outgoing. The sheer thought of socializing with people made him want to hide. Perhaps this wasn’t the place for him.

“Shiro, come on…”

The voice caught Adam’s attention. He turned to look.

“I’m still walking, Lotor.”

“We only have a couple of hours, so let’s use it-”

“I  _ am _ using it.”

The two men entered through the doors of a large bar. Adam looked at the neon sign above the entry:  _ The Garrison _ . Out of curiosity, he entered the building.

Countless amounts of people were gathered around the dance floor, sipping on alcohol and laughing with their friends and dates. 80s music played through a soundsystem, filling the venue with vibrancy. There would be no dancing without music, after all.

There were too many people, though. It was quite overwhelming.

After ordering a Dr. Pepper, he wandered through the seating area, eventually choosing a spot. He sat down, sipping on his soda. Adam couldn’t help but scan the crowds. All of them seemed very young, yet they fell into different stereotypes. He knew stereotyping was harmful, but he couldn’t help it.

A man slid into the booth, alarming Adam a little.

“Go along with whatever I say,” he whispered. Adam realized this guy was familiar. He was one of the two people that went inside before him.

“Sorry?” Adam asked, almost forgetting about what he said.

“Whatever I say, go along with it.”

A charming young man with long, flowing hair appeared next to the two gentlemen. Just as he was about to speak, he was cut off.

“Actually, I’d like to spend the night with my friend who I haven’t seen in a while.” He gestured over to Adam, who kindly smiled in response.

“Oh…” The long-haired man sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll leave you two be for the evening.”

He checked his watch as he walked off.

“Sorry for all the trouble. He’s a real handful,” said the man. He then extended his hand out to Adam. “I’m Shiro.”

“Adam,” he replied, shaking his hand.

Shiro laughed, standing up from the booth, still holding onto Adam’s hand. “Wanna dance?”

“Oh, uh…” Adam never considered himself to be a dancer. He dreaded the thought of awkwardly dancing in public, actually.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Well…”

Shiro stared into Adam’s eyes, excited yet expectant. How could you possibly say no to that?

“Okay.”


End file.
